The Girl in the Elevator
by TheseFourWords
Summary: AU in which Naruto and Hinata live in the same building take the same elevator on their way to work each morning but are too shy to speak to each other. Short series; Naruhina; COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

The moment the elevator doors slid open for him as he made his way to the ground floor his breath hitched in his throat, and although Naruto didn't believe in love at first sight she might have challenged that belief just a little bit.

Opalescent eyes so light they looked almost pupil-less contrasted sharply against the long, dark lashes framing them and the navy hair spilling down her back in thick waves. It was almost hypnotizing the way they caught the light at certain angles and created patterns of color against their glossy exterior, reminding him of the reflection of the moon in water, or maybe that dragon scale he'd seen on that one cartoon when he was a kid.

The doors were beginning to slide closed again by the time he'd gathered enough sense to step inside, yet she never looked up from the documents she was reading; not even as he stood a more-than-socially-appropriate distance from her inside the elevator (as though his presence might somehow mar her air of sophistication). As he straightened his tie he was suddenly very thankful for the strict dress code his firm required of its employees, otherwise he surely would have felt even more inferior than he already did standing next to her; what with the way she stood so poised in her tan pencil skirt and flowing white blouse.

The next thing he noticed was just how great of a body she had. Not that he was a pervert (he might be a little bit of a pervert), but he was finding it really difficult to understand how someone as small as her could still have legs a mile long. Her heels hung freely from her hand and he glanced down quickly to find her standing barefoot, one foot balanced on the tip of her toes. Her creamy skin disappeared beneath the fabric of her skirt and he blushed, snapping his eyes back forward before they started to wander farther up her body. What was he, he asked himself, some kind of animal?

The soft ring of the elevator signaled their arrival on the ground floor and both stepped forward automatically, slightly bumping into each other. She looked up from her reading in surprise, eyes widening substantially when she caught sight of him as though she'd had no idea there was anyone in the elevator with her to begin with. A light pink dusted her cheeks and he instantly learned that she was incredibly cute when she was flustered. He took a step back and with a smile gestured for her to step out in front of him, and she smiled apologetically in return. Bowing slightly, she hurried out of the elevator and towards the front doors, disappearing into the morning sidewalk commute before he'd even stepped outside. And as he shuffled along to work unconsciously his thoughts drowned in images of creamy skin and pearl eyes, his brain still stupefied by her smile.

The first time he saw her, he fell hopelessly head over heels for her.

"What's up with you?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow as Naruto returned home that evening, slumping onto the couch with a dreamy sigh and a stupid grin on his face.

"I think I'm in love," Naruto replied, his heart still pumping erratically at the thought of her just as it had been since that morning.

His roommate sighed with a roll of his eyes. "This is exactly what I wanted to do tonight; listen to you ramble about your feelings."

Naruto ignored him and went into detail anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

The first time she really got a look at him, she was running late to work.

The familiar '_ding_' of the elevator signaled that someone had requested a stop on that floor, and Hinata found herself fidgeting slightly in annoyance as the doors slid open.

The first thing she noticed was his eyes.

So big, bright, and so brilliantly _blue_, she wondered briefly if they were contacts before coming to the conclusion that they must be natural. It didn't escape her notice the way her heart was suddenly jumping wildly in her chest, beating more quickly with every second that she stared at him. Tracing the bridge of his nose she took in the entirety of his face: tan skin painted with the faintest of sunspots, strong jaw line, an amazing smile–

She blinked in surprise as she realized he was staring straight back at her with a large smile on his face, and in a panic she twisted her mouth uncomfortably in what she hoped at least partially resembled some sort of happy expression before looking away in shame as she felt heat rising to her cheeks. She studied the graining in the wall intently as she sensed him take the place beside her in the elevator, and the memory of her bumping into a man on the elevator a few mornings past entered her mind. A wave of self-consciousness filled her chest and she tucked strands of unruly hair behind her ear in a desperate attempt to make herself somewhat more presentable in comparison to the strong, composed aura he was radiating. She stood slightly straighter, suddenly feeling very small as he stood so collected in his expensive, tailored suit. He towered at least a head above her even in heels, and dear Kami did she always have a thing for tall guys. And was it just her or did the elevator seem very stuffy all of a sudden?

The next thing she noticed, after sparing him the minutest of glances from the corner of her eye, was the striking blonde hair on his head. She imagined that if she ran her fingers through the spiky tufts of it that it would feel very soft indeed, sliding through her grasp in its unruly glory. Thick locks of hair hung down in front of his forehead slightly, drawing even more attention to _those eyes_. Feeling an unexpected urge to reach out and touch him, she quickly clasped her hands together and berated herself. What had gotten into her so suddenly? Having such thoughts about a strange man she'd barely seen for the first time; it was completely irrational!

Hinata truly believed herself to be the last person who would fall so quickly for someone based solely on looks, but she would be kidding herself if she didn't admit that he was easily the most attractive man she'd ever seen.

And why won't he stop _smiling_ at her?

Surely she must be dreaming. How distracted must she have been that morning to not notice someone like _him_ standing in the elevator with her? What kind of face was she making? Did her outfit look nice that day? What about her hair? Oh _Kami, _she wasn't even wearing any shoes that morning! The doors slid open after what felt like an eternity and she hesitated before looking at him, as though some part of her needed his approval to make any movement less she bump into him again in her carelessness. With a crooked smile he held his arm out, gesturing her forward. She wanted to melt.

His smile. _His smile._

In an obvious display of her lack of grace she returned his smile nervously and stiffly nodded her head at him before all but scrambling out of the elevator.

The night after she first saw him– _really_ saw him– she dreamt of golden sunshine and the ocean. Of warmth on her skin and salt on her tongue.

"Are you feeling okay, Hinata?" Sakura asked as she walked into the gentle woman's office that morning, taking in the sight of the frazzled girl with pink cheeks before her.

"Sakura…D-Do you believe in love at first sight?" Hinata looked at her helplessly, clutching at the fabric over her heart.

Sakura asked for all of the details with a squeal, and no work was done that day.


	3. Chapter 3

This was it.

Today was going to be the day he finally said something to her.

_Her._

The girl in the elevator. The girl of his dreams. The most beautiful girl he'd ever laid his eyes on. The girl with the long, navy hair and endless pearl eyes. The girl in the elevator.

He tapped his foot impatiently, scrambling for a good conversational topic as he waited for the doors to slide open. _'No chickening out_,' he repeated to himself for what must have been the hundredth time, hitting his fist against the palm of his hand to further his point. What was the worst that could happen? Other than complete rejection, utter humiliation, and a life of shameful solitude?

_Ding!_

'_Shit, shit…' _The doors began to slide open. _'I'm not ready!'_

He contemplated the downside of booking it down the hall and taking the stairs as the doors opened fully and he was met with a set of the same eyes that had taken residence in his dreams.

Set into the head of someone who was definitely _not_ the person he was expecting.

'_Whoa…'_ Naruto blinked in confusion as the man standing in the elevator stared at him indifferently with the same distinct eyes he was so used to seeing on a far cuter face. Just as he began to momentarily question his sanity he heard a small shuffling noise, and looked past the man's shoulder to find a familiar face peeking at him from the far side of the elevator.

"T-Twins?" He mumbled to himself and the man furrowed his brow slightly in annoyance.

"Are you getting in or not?" The deep, smooth voice definitely matched the coldness in the man's eyes, crossing his arms with impatience as Naruto merely nodded dumbly and shuffled inside the elevator.

'_No'_, Naruto thought as he snuck what he thought was a sneaky glance at the two figures to his left. _'Not twins. Definitely related though… Damn those eyes are scary on a mean face like that.'_ A shiver unconsciously went down his spine and a small peep escaped his lips as the man glanced at him menacingly, and he immediately redirected his eyes away from the pair. Naruto felt his eye twitch as he watched the man scoot closer to his companion, shooting a sharp glance towards the blonde who tried his best to avert his attention.

'_Brother and sister maybe?'_ He definitely seemed as protective as Naruto imagined an elder brother might be. Naruto could easily see the close relation – fair skin, thin noses, round eyes. And though he couldn't really tell because of the messy ponytail it was pulled into, the guy's hair looked just as long as hers did. But whereas hers was so dark it appeared almost blue in the light, his was a chocolate brown.

Naruto peeked over the man's shoulder at the young woman once more, and for a moment he swore that she was intentionally avoiding his gaze, a bright pink painting her fair cheeks. She seemed even smaller than normal standing in the elevator next to the two tall men and clutched her papers close to her chest as though ready to make a run for it, reminding him of a small rabbit in the presence of two large dogs. Just as Naruto found himself smiling slightly at the thought, his view was suddenly blocked by the man stepping back almost nonchalantly in what _could _have been an innocent motion if it wasn't for the warning glare on his face. Naruto's eyes flared in annoyance as he met a pair of angry eyes staring straight into his own but the girl coughed lightly, an unspoken admonishment, and her relative turned away slowly.

The doors couldn't slide open fast enough as they arrived on the ground floor and Naruto immediately stepped forward to leave to tight confines of the elevator before hesitating. He looked over his shoulder for a reason unknown to him – maybe he wanted to offer to let her go ahead of himself again or maybe he wanted to see the man one last time – but he abruptly turned back around and walked briskly out when he felt a murderous intent focused directly on him.

He could always talk to her tomorrow.

Or maybe in a week. Or never.

"I'm totally doomed," Naruto drawled as he shut the door behind him and shrugged off his jacket that night.

Sasuke groaned deeply, pausing the TV and mentally preparing himself for the nonsense he was sure his roommate was going to spew for the next hour and a half.


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: Two chapters in one night because I meant to post one a day but forgot to upload yesterdays!_

* * *

"I don't like him."

"You didn't even speak to him…"

"He's trouble."

"You don't even know him, Neji…"

Neji paused as he lifted the spoon to his mouth and looked across the dining table at his cousin with a derisive expression. Her eyebrow was quirked ever so slightly, and he could see amusement in her eyes as she awaited his response. He narrowed his eyes slightly, an image of blonde hair entering his mind and souring his mood, before lifting his spoon to his mouth once more.

"I'm a good judge of character."

He didn't miss the small smile on her face as she rolled her eyes playfully, just as he didn't miss the way her body tensed upon the man's arrival in the elevator or the light flushing on her cheeks as she focused her eyes fixedly on the doors in front of her.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me about this guy!" Hanabi clapped her hands in front of her enthusiastically as she leaned nearly all the way across the table. "What does he look like? Is he tall? What color eyes does he have? Is he cute?"

"_Don't_ encourage her, Hanabi. He's trouble." Neji furrowed his brow at the younger girl but she merely waved him off.

"If anyone looks like trouble it's you." Hanabi replied teasingly as she flicked a piece of his long hair playfully.

"Mm, you do you like you could be in a gang." Hinata giggled playfully, seemingly thankful to change the topic but the gleam in Hanabi's eyes didn't falter for a moment.

"So what is he like? Does he have a deep voice? What's his name? What does he do for a living?"

"Well, um…" Hinata poked her fork into her salad repeatedly as she avoided Hanabi's gaze.

"What color hair does he have? Has he asked you out yet? Have _you_ asked _him_ out yet?"

"I-I, I mean, i-it's not, well–!"

"She's never spoken to him." Neji interrupted Hinata's mumbled incoherencies and finally put his spoon down for good. Hinata avoided his gaze and twirled a thick piece of hair around her finger in a poor attempt at hiding her nervousness. He always _could _see right through her.

"Whoa, back up for a second. Let me get this straight..." Hanabi leaned back in her chair and raised a hand to her chin in thought. "You have a crush on this guy who you've never even spoken to, who also takes the elevator with you every morning?"

"I never said anything about having a c-crush on him!" Hinata sputtered defensively and Neji and Hanabi shared a knowing glance.

"_Riiight_." Hanabi said slyly as Hinata stood with a huff and gathered some of their long abandoned plates.

"I-I only mentioned that I thought he was attractive! I mean, it's not like I'm trying to go out with him or anything! I don't even _know_ him! I only see him every so often in the elevator! S-So, that's that! Will you give me a hand with the dishes, Hanabi?"

Neji sighed at her blatant effort to steer the conversation away from a certain blonde man and handed a giggling Hanabi his bowl. The young girl approached the kitchen with a smile on her face, meeting her flushed sister at the sink just as she began running the water.

"They're blue." Hinata said after a minute of silence.

"Hm?"

"His eyes…" Hinata met her sister's eyes hesitantly, biting her lip to suppress the shy smile on her lips. "They're blue."

Hanabi could only grin widely at the hopeful uncertainty in her sister's eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

"C-Can you believe this weather?"

Naruto regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth.

Her head jerked towards him, eyes slightly widened as though she didn't quite believe he'd actually spoken to her, and it was her gaze alone that stopped him from slapping himself then and there and making a further fool of himself. He smiled at her crookedly, wishing nothing more than to sink into oblivion while a single word played on repeat in his head like a broken record.

Why. Why. Why. _Why. Why. WHY._

**Why** did he have to choose the most cliché of conversational topics as his first words to her?

Obviously this wasn't what he'd expected to happen. No, he'd had the entire scenario planned out in his head to a tee: he'd walk into the elevator at 7AM, just like he did every morning, and there'd she be, just like she was every morning. He'd flash a bright smile, stride towards her, and lean suavely against the back of the elevator as he looked down into her pearly eyes and say, "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. How about we go out sometime?" And she'd swoon, obviously charmed by him, before falling into his waiting arms and proclaiming her undying love for him. And they'd live happily ever after.

And to think it had only taken him 3 months, countless wordless encounters, dozens of sneaked glances and friendly nods, and 5 missed opportunities due to him chickening out for him to finally utter any semblance of a word to her.

"A-ah, um, yes…" She granted him a small smile and nodded her head ever so slightly in his direction before turning her gaze back towards the elevator doors with a light pink dusting her cheeks and effectively stunning him into silence.

He was an idiot.

An idiot in love with the girl he rode the elevator with every morning.

Where did his plan go wrong? Somewhere between the elevator door sliding open to reveal her petite frame and him tripping as he walked inside, he was sure. That must have been a pitying smile she'd given him, he convinced himself. She obviously felt sorry for him and his obvious lack of charm and didn't want to hurt his feelings. _'A-ah, um, yes…'_ So she _could _believe the weather? What does that even mean? That she agrees the weather _is_ bad? It had been raining a lot lately. Maybe he was just trying too hard to read between the lines. Did that make him desperate? No, he was definitely _not_ desperate…

Okay, so maybe he was a little desperate.

He wanted to tell her that he thought she was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. He wanted to tell her that her voice was angelic, the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. He wanted to tell her that he usually wasn't this quiet, and that he wanted to get to know her- wanted her to get to know him! He wanted to tell her that he didn't really care about the weather so much as he cared about finally manning up and talking to her. He wanted to tell her countless things, but as her voice echoed repeatedly in his ears, drowning out all other thoughts and processes, his world skidded to a halt.

...Alright, he was a lot desperate.

Her voice was more soft and sweet than he could have imagined, and he could hear the echo of it ringing in his ears like a symphony. He could listen to that melodic voice forever, he decided. He wanted that voice ingrained into his eardrums. And as pretty as her eyes were, he thought they were _that _much prettier when their attention was focused on him. He didn't even get to ask what her name was! Or tell her his! Why'd she have to be so pretty? Why'd he have to be such an idiot? And for the love of God, _why'd he have to ask about the weather?_

He gave her the sneakiest glance he could manage, watching as she tucked a long strand behind her ear and shifted her weight onto one leg nervously.

'_Say something!'_

His mouth open and closed repeatedly as he watched the numbers above the door decrease steadily.

'_Say __**anything**__, you idiot!'_

_Ding!_

* * *

"Told you you'd fuck it up," his unsympathetic roommate drawled that evening without so much as looking up from his book as the despondent blonde dropped his suitcase by the door and dramatically threw himself onto the ground in front of the TV.

"I asked her about the weather," he croaked miserably and Sasuke spared him a glance as the blonde drug his hands down his face as though it might erase his shame. "She took one look at me and all I could think to ask about was the _fucking weather_."

She'd definitely never speak to him again.


	6. Chapter 6

"S-So this weather…it's still raining."

She actually spoke to him again.

Hinata wasn't sure if it was because she'd had that double shot espresso that morning or because he seemed to be utterly uncomfortable, shrinking into the corner of the elevator, but for the first time in months she'd actually gathered the courage to initiate a conversation with _him_.

...What was she thinking?

If the surprised look on his face was any indication then she'd obviously misinterpreted his intentions the previous day. He was clearly just trying to make friendly conversation the previous morning with no expectation (or desire) for her to reciprocate, yet she had to go and cross the line of no return.

So maybe a tiny, itty bitty (large) part of her hoped that maybe he wanted to be friends (or more) or even acquaintances after he'd spoken to her for the first time in months yesterday. She may or may not have spent the previous day in a blissful trance at having finally had a conversation with the man that had made her waking thoughts his home over the past few months; that is, if you could even call such a short exchange a 'conversation'. But that didn't mean she should get ahead of herself! No, he definitely didn't want to be friends with her. Should she say something else? Would that make it worse? Oh, why did he have to be so handsome? Why did she have to talk about the _weather_ of all things?

She opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water, struggling to salvage the conversation and her dignity to her seemingly oblivious companion.

Naruto, meanwhile, was in complete and utter shock.

He wasn't sure if it was his dashingly good looks or the fact that she seemed like a really kind person, but despite his attempts to fade into the oak walls of the elevator she'd actually spoken to him again. He looked at her with what was surely a dumbfounded expression, but she merely peered up at him from behind her navy bangs with a sweet smile on her face. Naruto couldn't tell if she was trying to make him feel better after his embarrassing excuse for conversation the previous day or only trying to tease him, but a small blush made its way onto his cheeks.

"I-I don't really mind it. I just, um… miss the sun," she ventured further when he didn't respond yet continued to stare directly at her, biting her lip softly and shaking her head sheepishly while the lightest of pinks materialized on her ivory skin.

"Y-Yeah," Naruto chuckled awkwardly, regaining his composure after an embarrassingly long amount of time and grinning goofily at her. "I've had about enough of all this rain."

Lame. Lame. Lame. Lame. Lame.

_'Again with the weather_,' he thought incredulously. She smiled again, nodding her head in agreement as if pleased with his answer. Oh yeah, he'd _definitely_ need to talk to her more often if it meant seeing that smile. As she turned away from him he squirmed slightly, suddenly claustrophobic as the walls seemed to grow tight around him, beckoning him to come up with something better than the weather to talk about with her. Elevator Girl, as he'd come to call her (Sasuke threatened to punch him if he kept referring to her as 'The Love of My Life'), stood unnervingly still with eyes fixed on the doors ahead of them and seemingly unaware of any tension in the confined space.

He snuck a glance at her from the corner of his eye, noticing the way her hair cascaded down her back like a sapphire waterfall and he desperately wished he could reach out to her and stroke the long locks. _'I can do this,'_ he nodded his head confidently. He could still redeem himself! All it would take was a little smooth talking, a flash of his million dollar smile, and bam! She'd be head over heels for him.

"So-"

_Ding!_

The doors slid open seamlessly before he could voice a single syllable and she walked out quickly, leaving him sputtering and alone. He sighed and began dragging his feet melodramatically at the thought of another missed opportunity, following her to the lobby doors. If anything could make that bastard laugh, he thought irksomely, it would be Naruto's pathetic attempts to ask his mystery girl out on a date. It wasn't his fault she reduced him to a blubbering fool!

Hinata strode through the doors quickly and blinked repeatedly as the cool air hit her and made her eyes water slightly. She was tempted to walk straight into the pouring rain if it would get her away from the building faster, but instead paused to reach inside her bag and pull out her umbrella.

Her eyes widened as her hand grasped air where the handle of her umbrella was supposed to be. _'No, no no. How foolish!' _She mentally berated herself as she dug through her purse, frantically looking for something she knew not to be there and had to take a moment to compose herself.

All she had wanted was to get out of that elevator as soon as possible, leaving her embarrassment behind her, and run to work before the blonde man could follow her out of the condo building. The _last _thing she wanted was for him to tell her that while he appreciated her attempt, he was only trying to be friendly; thus rejecting her in front of the throng of morning commuters that happened to be on the sidewalk that day.

No. She refused to let that happen.

And so, staring out at the pouring rain with a grim expression, she raised her hand into a makeshift shield and stepped out into the bitter precipitation.

"T-Taxi!" She called hesitantly, raising her hand slightly in the air to catch the attention of the bright yellow vehicle passing by. To her surprise he pulled over just a bit further down the sidewalk from her, and she began to approach just as another woman scrambled inside before the vehicle drove away. She suppressed a groan from escaping her lips. Surely things couldn't get any worse.

"What are you doing?" A voice said suddenly and Hinata squeaked in surprise and spun around quickly, looking up slightly to find Elevator Boy (Neji's eye seemed to twitch ever so lightly every time she referred to him as 'The Man of Her Dreams'), smirking down at her amusedly.

She spoke too soon, things _could_ get worse.

"I-I, um–," she sputtered, becoming aware of how close he was to her and suddenly felt very cold. She could almost feel the heat radiating off of his body, and wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and sink herself deeply into his warmth. Or maybe that warmth she was feelings was the heated blush she was sure was appearing on her face.

He was _very_ attractive after all, with his striking blonde hair and vibrant eyes. He was so tall, which was never a bad thing she thought as she looked straight ahead into the middle of his chest. And not that she had been looking or anything, but he seemed to be very nicely built underneath the suits he always wore.

...Not that she had been looking.

"I-I'm sorry!" She sputtered and stepped back, not entirely aware of what she was apologizing for. It took a multitude of droplets drenching her once again for her to realize that she'd stepped out from beneath the umbrella he'd been holding above both of their heads. Nevertheless, she couldn't bring herself to step forward back underneath the safety it provided; not if it meant standing so closely to him again. And _especially_ not when he was smiling at her like _that_.

"What are you apologizing for?" The way he chuckled as he said it confirmed to her that he was teasing her. She bit her lip and contemplated just walking away, maybe even moving to the complete opposite side of town or out of town completely, but her sense of dignity prevailed and she looked at him helplessly.

"I-I forgot my umbrella, b-but I'm running a bit late. I don't have time to go back and get it, so I was just trying to, um, hail a taxi…" she trailed off quietly, clasping her hands tightly together in front of her and wishing desperately for the cement to open and swallow her up. He laughed lightly, and whether it was at her personally or at her predicament she didn't know.

Her breath hitched as he stared her straight in the eyes and stepped towards her once again, sheltering her under the umbrella and unknowingly sharing his body heat with her. She looked away from him in embarrassment as she realized he was mere inches from her face, looking down at her with those penetrating blue eyes and a wide smile, but moments later he raised a hand to his mouth and whistled loudly.

"Taxi!" He yelled assuredly, raising an arm in a small wave and her jaw dropped slightly as a taxi promptly took notice of him and steered towards them. He looked down at her with a bright grin as if proud of his achievement, before placing a hand lightly on the small of her back and leading her to the curb as the taxi pulled to a stop. She didn't think her face could possibly turn any redder until he took the handle and pulled open the door for her, holding the umbrella above her at the sake of his own dryness until she settled inside.

"Take her wherever she needs to go," She watched as he smoothly pulled a bill out of his pocket and handed it over the seat. "My treat." he silenced her protests with a wink that made her heart flutter.

"T-Thank you." she murmured softly, looking up at him in a daze.

"And take these," he said as he shrugged off his suit jacket and laid it against her like a blanket before folding up his umbrella and handing her the dry handle. She flushed as she recognized what he was trying to do.

"I-I couldn't, you'd get soaked!" She argued vainly and attempted to push it back towards him but he merely smiled and shook his head, sending droplets flying from his already soaked hair. She held her breath as he reached over her and placed it onto the seat beside her, his earthy aroma wafting into her nostrils as he moved past her.

"Don't worry about me. Pretty girls like you shouldn't be left in the rain." He winked slyly once more before closing the door and patting the top of the car to signal to the (rather impressed) cabbie to start driving.

She peered at him through the window until he disappeared behind the morning traffic before sinking into her seat. Burying her face in her hands she tried to hide the small smile on her on her face, and despite her attempts found it impossible to ignore the tingling sensation his hand left on her back.

'_He smells nice…'_ She thought happily as she lifted his jacket to her face and immersed herself in his smell.

* * *

"What's with the stupid smile? And why are you soaking wet?" Sasuke scrunched his nose in disgust as Naruto practically skipped through the door that evening.

Naruto responded by kicking his shoes off with a dreamy sigh, water dripping from the tips of his hair and the edges of his clothes. Sasuke rolled his eyes knowingly.

"Take a shower before you start, you smell like a fucking dog."


	7. Chapter 7

Naruto could barely contain his excitement the next morning as he waited for the elevator doors to slide open, using all of his will power to make it seem as though he was intensely focused on the newspaper in his hands and _not_ counting he seconds it was taking for the elevator to arrive.

_Ding!_

He'd never been a good actor though.

All pretenses of aloofness fell, a wide smile spreading on his face as he impatiently watched the doors slide open. Taking a step forward he opened his mouth to give her a warm greeting, only for the excitement building inside him to extinguish quickly as he looked into the compartment that seemed much duller and suffocating without her presence.

He'd be lying if he said he didn't pout and stand in the hallway for 10 minutes, repeatedly calling the elevator over and over and hoping that she would be inside, only for an empty compartment to greet him each time.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed after reluctantly getting in an empty elevator, the ride down feeling much lonelier without her warmth beside him.

Maybe she was running late, or went in early? Hell, maybe she was just sick. He could think of countless reasons why she wasn't in the elevator that morning, each of them making plausible sense. Surely he was overreacting. It was just one day, right? _'Think positive, think positive.' _Naruto gulped as one clear thought rung through his mind.

Maybe she was _avoiding_ him.

He tried to cast out the negative idea. She wouldn't avoid him, not after he'd made such a good impression the previous day! Or maybe it wasn't good. Sure he was upping the charm factor a bit, but he really was just trying to do the right thing by helping her out! Had he been too pushy? He didn't think so; at least she hadn't given him the feeling that she thought he was a creep. Maybe she just wasn't interested and didn't have the heart to let him down. Had he completely screwed up? What if he never saw her again?!

To say it bothered him all day would be an understatement.

Naruto groaned and dropped his head on his desk; scattering papers as his secretary gave him a concerning look from the next room before picking up the telephone. Naruto rolled his head on his desk as though it might clear his mind, taking a deep breath and sighing deeply just as the woman put the phone down and a loud clicking of high heels rapidly approached his office. _'Oh no,' _he thought as a figure quickly came into view. He knew that face all too well. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes as she swiftly made her way into his office with a frown on her face and a furrowed brow, Naruto sat up and leaned his head on his arm.

"I don't want to hear it, Ino."

"What is _with_ you today? I've gotten _zero_ work done with everyone's complaints of you sighing every five minutes, walking around the office with a groan, and dragging your feet!" The blonde ignored him as she slammed her hand on his desk in annoyance, her ponytail swinging as she fixed her eyes on him.

"It's nothing, just forget it." He mumbled through his frown, refusing to meet her irritated eyes as he absentmindedly toyed with the pencil to his left.

"…I know what this is about." She narrowed her eyes and he got the sense that she was analyzing him down to the last detail and he squirmed uncomfortably. "This is about a girl isn't it?"

"W-What!" He sputtered, scoffing incredulously and clearing his throat as a sly smile made its way onto her face. He'd always known Ino to have a keen perception for reading people, which worked really well for _her_ as the HR head of their firm but bad for _him_ when she turned it on him instead.

"You're so easy to read, Naruto, you wear your emotions written across your face," she shook her head with a haughty chuckle as she watched him flush deeply. "Lucky for you you're talking to a love expert. What, did she dump you or something?"

"No! It's not like that, I mean– I'm not going to talk to you about this!" He threw the pencil at her and she swatted it aside with a look of offense. "Love expert my ass, didn't you just break up with your latest boyfriend?"

"Ugh, men." She groaned as he pouted at her, pinching the bridge of her nose and lifting her watch closer to her face to check the time. "Look it's already 4:30, why don't we just call it a day."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Naruto stood up, gathering his papers into a messy pile and setting them to the side to be worried about the next morning. Sure his boss Tsunade had been hounding him to finish his report, but another day shouldn't make a difference.

"Not so fast!" She called to him as he grabbed his jacket and quickly began making his way out of his office. "Did you bring the papers Sakura sent for me?"

"Eh?" He paused as he scoured his memories for his last conversation with his pink haired friend.

'_I gave Sasuke some important papers to give to you. Take them to work and give them to Ino, they're really important. **Don't** forget. Are you listening to me, Naruto?'_

"You forgot." The look Ino gave him indicated that she wasn't surprised, pinching her nose once more as though the blonde was giving her a large headache while Naruto laughed nervously.

"I might have been a little distracted this morning." He gave her an apologetic smile and she shook her head at him.

"Forget it; I'll go get them myself from your place." She shrugged, turning from his office and heading back towards her own as her long ponytail swung behind her.

"Wait, I can bring them!" He trotted after her quickly, nearly tripping over his own feet as he entered her office and watched her gather her things.

"Like I trust you to do it! Besides, Sakura's birthday is coming up and I need to talk to Sasuke about a surprise party for her."

"What's that supposed to mean!" He retorted angrily as she slid on her rain coat with ease before picking up her umbrella and striding past him with narrowed eyes.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go."

And that was how Naruto Uzumaki ended up in the lobby of his building with Ino Yamanaka yammering away in his ear.

"But what do you think, would she _like_ a surprise party?"

"Why wouldn't she?"

"Okay, but would she like a planned party more is what I'm asking."

"That's not what you asked at all."

"It's what I'm asking now!"

"Then why didn't you just ask that in the first place!"

"Just answer the question Naruto!"

He stared at the numbers above the elevator with a withering patience, Ino continuing to ramble to herself beside him, not bothered by his lack of attention as long as he mumbled a 'yes' or 'no' every so often. The dial seemed to move down to the first floor at an agonizingly slow pace, and he found his annoyance increasing the more time went on.

'_She'll be in and out within 10 minutes.'_ He repeated in his head as he took a deep breath to calm his nerves, glancing around the lobby curiously as residents and workers hustled about. Unconsciously, he found himself looking for a glimpse of long dark hair, of fair skin, or silver eyes. She couldn't be at work all day, so maybe she'd gotten off early as well?

A ring from his left signaled that the elevator had arrived, interrupting his thoughts and he heard the familiar sound of the doors sliding open coupled with a disappointment in his chest. He couldn't help the pout that appeared on his face as he waved Ino ahead of him into the elevator, taking one last glance around the lobby before stepping inside himself.

"All I'm asking is if you think she'd like a new pair of hooker heels or some nice perfume? You're really no help at all, Naruto." Ino crossed her arms with a sigh as Naruto reached across her and pressed the 7th button on the panel.

"How am I supposed to know what to get her? I get her the same thing every year: a gift card to Ichiraku's!" Naruto shrugged his shoulders and Ino groaned.

"That's what you get _everyone_ every year!"

"E-Excuse me! Hold the elevator, please!" A soft voice called and Naruto's heart stopped as Ino instinctively reached her hand through the closing doors, stopping them from closing at the last moment.

Oh no.

"Woah, that was a close one! You just caught it!" Ino laughed to herself as the doors slid open, revealing a petite girl staring inside with surprised eyes.

Not now.

Not when he was with the _worst_ person he could absolutely be with at that moment.

The one person who was sure to never let him live down the fact that _this girl_ was the reason he'd been slugging around work all day, this girl who he'd spoken to a total of two times.

"Thanks for holding the door!" An unfamiliar voice broke Naruto from his thoughts, and he tore his gaze from the girl to a man standing closely beside her.

A little _too_ close.

"Scoot over, you dope!" Ino nudged Naruto, and he distantly felt a pain in his side as he watched the man place his hand onto the girl's shoulder, looking down at her with a wide grin that made Naruto's blood boil.

"Y-Yeah, sorry." He watched the duo with blank eyes, semi-aware of silver eyes on him but unable to take his eyes off the man guiding her gently into the elevator, pressing the 8th floor button.

Who the hell was this guy? And why was he touching her so comfortably?

'_A BOYFRIEND?'_

He desperately tried to cast the thought from his mind. Could she really have a boyfriend? He supposed he wouldn't be surprised; someone as gorgeous as her _had_ to have men hitting on her all the time, but he had to admit that the thought had never even crossed his mind in the months that he'd spent building up the courage to speak to her. He felt something dangerous building up within his chest as he turned his attention onto the man standing beside her as the elevator doors slid closed; a mixture of anger and sadness and hesitation, his hope shattering into a million pieces.

Blue eyes narrowed as they took in the guy's appearance.

He guessed that the guy was _alright_ looking; tall, tan skin, muscular. His unkempt brown hair stuck out in all directions, hanging from his forehead in thick tufts. Naruto supposed that he could understand how girls could find someone like him attractive; he could imagine the guy being funny and charming to women (if the light laughter lines on his face were any indication. He dressed casually, which pleased Naruto as he stood straightly in his button-down shirt and tie, but not so casually that he looked shabby. If anything, he seemed like the typical outdoorsy type that women in movies always seemed to faun over.

Naruto hated him.

"But really, what's up with the small pets rule? Akamaru is really offended. I bet a bunch of cat elitists live here. That's not a good environment, I keep telling you to move closer to me and Shino."

"Y-Yes, but this building is close to my work. And I…I like the people," she responded quietly, clenching her hands tightly in front of her and glancing in Naruto and Ino's direction warily.

How dare he stand so closely to her like that, chatting away about things that weren't the weather?! Who did he think he was? Didn't he realize how long Naruto had spent trying to have a conversation with her?!

"Okay but what do you think of a spring theme. We could have lots of flowers and invite everyone we know! Is that too much though? Maybe we should keep it private, only close friends." Ino brought a hand to her chin in thought.

"Yeah, that sounds nice." Naruto nodded numbly as the elevator rang and the doors began to slide open. He hesitated before stepping out, fighting the urge to turn and speak to her. Was this guy really her boyfriend? Maybe he was just jumping to conclusions. He could be being ridiculous, but the way he stood so closely and talked to her so easily wasn't his imagination. Whoever this guy was, he obviously was close to her.

"Are you gonna stand there all day?" Ino asked as she stepped out of the elevator, glancing back at Naruto curiously with her brow quirked.

"R-Right, sorry," he sputtered, sighing and stepping out after her just as he heard the doors begin to close.

"Wait!" He froze mid-step as a shout rang through the air, turning back and seeing the girl looking at him with a desperate expression as she held the doors firmly open with both hands.

"I just, um, I wanted to thank you! For the umbrella yesterday, and the taxi…T-That was really kind and I'm really grateful." She trailed off quietly, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as Naruto took the few steps back to the front of the elevator.

"You don't have to thank me!" He replied a bit too loudly, coughing and chuckling to himself as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I mean, it wasn't a big deal at all. I just wanted to help you out."

"Oh, so this is the guy you were telling me about yesterday!" The guy next to her exclaimed, pointing at Naruto as his eyes widened in realization.

"Eh?" Ino asked in confusion, joining Naruto in front of the elevator. The guy stepped forward with a laugh and draped his arm around her shoulder with a wide smile, and Naruto felt his anger peak, clenching his fists at his side at how nonchalant the action seemed.

"That was really cool of you to give her your umbrella! And the taxi, she was talking about it all day!"

"K-Kiba…" The girl flushed more brightly, and Naruto suddenly had a name to go with the burning anger he felt inside him.

"You didn't tell me about that!" Ino slapped him lightly on the arm, a playful smirk on her face as she wiggled her eyebrows discreetly at him. He flushed brightly.

"It was nothing," Naruto mumbled as he shuffled his feet, refusing to meet any of their gazes.

"I-I'm still really grateful, thank you." She smiled a brilliant smile at him that made Naruto feel warm all over, but the feeling was short lived as his eyes focused on the arm draped across her shoulders so casually. "I still have your coat, and your umbrella?"

"You can give them back another day, don't worry about it." He waved a hand dismissively, forcing a small smile onto his face and she nodded with a smile of her own.

"Well! We better get going, it was nice talking to you!" Naruto felt Ino suddenly begin pulling him away excitedly, waving at the two in the elevator as they started making their way down the hall.

"Thanks again!" He heard the Kiba guy call gratefully once again, and Naruto turned in time to glimpse the mischievous grin he looked down at her with as the doors slid closed.

"Wow Naruto, who knew you could be such a romantic! Is that why you showed up soaking wet to the office the other day? Because you gave that girl your umbrella and got her a taxi?" Ino slapped his arm repeatedly, unable to hold her excitement at the latest bit of gossip she'd found and Naruto looked at the wall pointedly as they walked.

"Yeah, yeah, it's not a big deal."

"She's really pretty," Ino added with a thoughtful smile before giggling to herself. "But I was more interested in that guy with her; can you say hotty? Where can I find me a guy like that, do you think he was her boyfriend?"

"Who knows, sure looked like it to me." Naruto replied flatly as he pulled his keys from his pocket as they approached his door.

"Do you… No way, _that's_ the girl you've been moping over all day?!" Ino exclaimed as Naruto pushed the door open roughly, a scowl on his mouth as she hit the nail on the head.

"Look Ino can you just drop it? I don't feel like talking about it right now." He gave her a desperate look and she opened her mouth to retort before seemingly thinking better of it and closing it once more.

"Alright. I'll give you this one, but this conversation isn't over." She pointed at him with a furrowed brow. "Hey Sasuke! Do you have those papers? I have a lot I need to talk to you about."

Naruto watched Sasuke sigh deeply, turning to meet the blonde woman as she stomped her way into the kitchen as though she owned the place. He glanced at Naruto momentarily, noticing the way his shoulders slumped and how he kicked his shoes off without regard before slumping onto the couch.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm listening." He waved Ino off as she began to get snarky with him. "The papers are over here on the table."

Naruto threw himself onto the couch, his heart filled with a flurry of emotions that he almost felt ashamed for feeling considering he'd probably spent less than five minutes actually conversing with the girl.

He couldn't help but feel jealous of the way _Kiba_ talked with her so easily, a natural conversation flowing between the two as though they had known each other for a long time. His heart ached as he remembered his arm draped across her shoulders, casual and close. A simple motion that could mean so much or so little, a differentiation he couldn't make without more knowledge of their relationship.

'_Their relationship…'_ Were they really dating? Did he even have a right to be upset about that? He wasn't angry with her; he didn't think he _could_ be. He was angry with himself. Angry that he had taken so long to talk to her, angry that he hadn't made his feelings known sooner (in case that might have made a difference somehow). He was angry with Kiba. Angry that he had come to know the girl before Naruto had, angry that he seemed so comfortable with her whereas Naruto struggled to say one word. He was angry that _he_ didn't have that kind of relationship with her.

He was an irrational kind of upset, and he hated himself for it.

"Hey hadn't Sakura been trying to set you up on a blind date with one of her friends Naruto?" Ino called from the kitchen and Naruto lifted his head from his hands.

"Yeah, she was… What about it?" He made eye contact with her as she walked past him on the couch, papers clutched neatly to her chest as she made her way to the door.

"I think that's a great idea! That girl is a pretty good match maker, I think you should give it a shot! At this rate, you'll be single forever. See ya, don't forget to call me about the party Sasuke!" Her laugh could be heard as she closed the door, and an image of the raven haired girl with the tan man on her arm entered his mind. He slumped back into the cushions as his chest tightened with disappointment.

He chuckled to himself at Ino's antics; obviously she was too good at reading him if she even thought a blind date might help him clear his head. But was a blind date really a good idea? He'd never been one for that sort of thing, but perhaps that was exactly what he needed right now. Ino was right, Sakura was a pretty good matchmaker and he could really use something to get his mind off things. Otherwise maybe he _would_ be single forever.

"Maybe…Maybe I should give it a shot."

"Stop talking to yourself, you sound like an idiot." Sasuke replied indifferently, deftly dodging the cushion that came flying at his head moments later.


	8. Chapter 8

_I just wanted to take a minute and thank everyone who has favorited/followed the story! ^^ Special thanks to kika04, Angi sleeps, Naruto secret jutsu, Taichi-Doragon Tentei, Nihal Tonks-Lupin, jasmine 'n lavender, my love ramen, gummy b3ars, XxXangelkunoichiXxX, shiro-kun 09, chocolate syrup yum-yum, Romeo n Juliet, mapplepie, matchaball, xHinaLovex, lilith, lvlulcan, EpicReader, LovelyLori, fanofthisfiction, SpicyWifey, grimreaper40045, Forehead Poke, NaruHinaRyu, tactics2012, sngsngsnyrslp, kaonashi1103, IamWhatIamBaby, misao97, , and valerie for leaving me wonderful reviews! :)_

* * *

She had to go in to work early the next morning.

Her heart sunk in her chest as she watched the dial above the elevator move past the 7th floor, past _his_ floor, and she sighed deeply as the small sliver of hope she'd been holding onto slipped from her grasp.

Hinata knew she was being naïve.

She knew things like 'love at first sight' didn't really exist, that you couldn't come to truly fall in love with someone without having so much as saying a word to them. That was the stuff of fantasy and Disney movies. But how could she blame herself? The guy in the elevator just seemed so _perfect_. He was always so nice and cheerful, smiling at her every morning in the elevator and holding the door as they walked out of the building. He was the kind of person everyone wanted in their life, someone who brought warmth and comfort without even trying.

She didn't know when, but at some point in the past few months he'd become something _normal_ to her, such a fixed pattern in her life that she couldn't remember a time _before_ taking the elevator with him. She found herself looking forward to seeing him every morning when she woke up and every night as she drifted into sleep. It was irrational but somehow without even talking to her he had managed to make himself a permanent fixture in her mind, occupying her every thought and setting her cheeks ablaze every time she remembered what he'd done for her. And now that he'd been so kind to her, stood so close and been so _charming… _

She'd never met a man who was so willing and quick to offer up his help to someone like her, had never met someone who in one meeting had so easily swept her off of her feet. For crying out loud, he paid for her taxi! He offered her his umbrella and jacket! It was embarrassing how often throughout the day she'd paused from her work just to run her fingers along the material, how she'd fought so hard to resist the temptation to bring it close and inhale the scent he'd ingrained deep within the seams. How she'd immediately gone into Sakura's office upon her arrival at work that morning and gushed like a teenage girl about _what an absolutely amazing morning she'd had_.

Oh yes, she had fallen for him much too quickly.

"You're thinking about him again aren't you?"

"What? N-No, I'm not!"

"Hinata, I've been talking to you for the last 5 minutes and you haven't said a word," Kiba laughed through the receiver as Hinata realized she was still on the phone with one of her dearest friends, supposed to be listening intently as he recalled the latest nightmare pet owner who had wandered into his veterinary clinic that morning. She felt her face become very warm as she flushed with embarrassment, covering her face with her fingers tightened around the phone in her hand.

"I'm sorry!" Her apology came muffled through her fingers before she dropped her head onto her desk with a small groan.

"It's cool, I get it. Your lover boy is more important to you than your best friend, it's totally understandable."

"That's not true!" She retorted unconvincingly, smacking a hand down onto her desk and his laughter rang through her ears again while she blushed hotly. "Oh, but you should have _seen_ him Kiba! He was so _nice_ and he gave me his _umbrella_, and–"

"And the taxi, and the jacket– Yeah, yeah, he sounds like a real charmer." He finished for her and she could almost hear the grin underlying his response. Leaning back against her chair with a pout she denied the urge to be upset with him; it wasn't his fault that she'd recounted the story to him a hundred times.

"Okay, I promise I won't talk about it anymore." She sighed and he mumbled his disbelief. "I'm sorry for not listening, so let me make it up to you. How does dinner at my place tonight sound?" She glanced at the clock as she spoke to him, noticing that it was already 4 o'clock and time for her to clock out. A tension she'd been holding in her shoulders released instantly and she quickly saved the documents she'd been working on before immediately logging out of her computer.

"That sounds great!" He replied loudly and she smiled in relief, grateful for the opportunity to apologize for her rudeness. She watched her computer shut down as she stood and gathered her belongings, giggling as she heard Kiba distantly scold one of the dogs in his clinic for peeing on the floor.

"Of course it won't be a party unless Shino is there. Is he busy this evening?" She held her phone against her shoulder as she reached for her jacket and began pulling it on, grabbing the device quickly as it began to slip while Kiba snorted.

"Shino brings the party all right, but he's got Back-to-School night at 6 so he probably won't be able to make it until later. You're off right now aren't you?" He hesitated until she responded with a short hum. "How about you head over here while I start packing up for the day, then we can head back to your building together?"

"That sounds great! Okay, see you in 15 minutes." She waited for his goodbye before hanging her phone up with a small smile. Maybe a nice dinner with Kiba would be enough to get the blonde man out of her mind. She could wash up, cut and boil some vegetables, throw something in the oven. Then she could show him the umbrella, and show him the jacket, and show him the elevator they took every morning.

On second thought, his arrival might only focus her thoughts on the blonde man even more.

With a sigh and a mind filled with blue eyes and blonde hair, she shut off the lights and made her way down the hall toward the office in the opposite corner of her floor where she could distantly hear two familiar voices conversing with one another.

"You're taking forever."

"Stop being so impatient, I'm saving my things!"

"Save faster."

"Don't tell me how to save my stuff!"

With a smile on her face and a shake of her head Hinata knocked politely, hesitating for a moment until she heard her permission to enter.

"Ah, Hinata! I was just about to head into your office, you ready to go?" Sakura greeted her warmly as Hinata poked her head inside the room before entering fully.

"I'm ready! Hello, Sasuke." Hinata waved slightly at the raven haired man sitting in front of Sakura's desk. He gave her grunt in reply, impatiently tapping his foot and looking at his girlfriend as though he wished she would hurry up.

"I'm done, I'm done." Sakura looked at him with a pout as though reading his mind before pulling on her jacket as he looked away with a huff and stood, picking his coffee cup up from her desk and walking the few steps to wait with Hinata at the door.

"You got a haircut," he flicked a piece of her dark hair and she smiled in response.

"Yesterday afternoon, thanks for noticing." It was as close to a compliment as he could get, she had learned that quickly after meeting him. She nodded her head toward the cup in his hand. "Coffee this late in the afternoon?"

"Hn," he replied shortly as he lifted it to his mouth, and Sakura scoffed and started to rant about _"How many times have I told you that coffee is bad for you"_ and _"He just doesn't listen to me Hinata"_.

Hinata wasn't exactly sure when she and Sasuke had developed their unspoken friendship. Sometime shortly after Sakura had begun working with her, the two developing a fast and deep friendship, and Sasuke had started showing up at the end of every work day to walk the pink haired woman home. It wasn't long after that the three realized that Hinata and Sasuke lived in the same building which wasn't too coincidental, Hinata thought, as she had specifically chosen her building as it was close to her office. Working in the publishing company across the street, Sasuke had done the same.

Hinata almost wanted to laugh at how routine her life had become. Every morning she'd take the elevator down with the blonde man, and every afternoon she'd walk home with Sasuke and Sakura and drop Sakura off before taking the elevator up with Sasuke. It hadn't escaped her notice that he lived on the seventh floor, the exact floor that her "lover boy" (as Kiba liked to call him) lived on. _Surely_ he must have seen the blonde man at some point. He seemed like he'd lived in the building long enough to at least be familiar with the people on his floor, and going in and out one eventually starts to recognize some familiar faces. It wouldn't be _too_ much of a stretch for her to think that Sasuke would at least have seen the man at least _once_. She wrestled with whether or not she should ask whether such a man sounded familiar to him; maybe get a name, age, relationship status...

He'd probably look at her like she was crazy for even asking, so she swallowed the question and bit her tongue.

Her mystery man must be descending her into madness if she was really desperate enough to think about asking _Sasuke_ of all people if he'd noticed him. How would she even casually bring up something like that? _'I know that hundreds and hundreds of people live in our building, but I was just wondering if you may have noticed this __one__ man who happens to live on your floor?' _He'd probably ignore her for beating around the bush, narrowing his eyes as he scanned her face and quickly found out her true intentions. Maybe she should be more straightforward._ 'Hello Sasuke. I was just wondering; you wouldn't happen to know of a blonde man with beautiful blue eyes that lives on the same floor as you, by chance? We take the elevator every morning and I seem to have fallen head over heels for him.'_

She was on a slippery slope into madness indeed.

"So you never told me what happened with Mr. Attractive Elevator Guy this morning!" Sakura interrupted her thoughts suddenly as the trio exited her office and made their way to the elevator.

"U-Um, well…" Hinata fixed her gaze on the hall ahead of them, trying to hide the blush on her face and avoiding meeting Sakura's bright green eyes as the fair haired women groaned in exasperation.

"Aw, don't tell me you didn't see him! I was really looking forward to my daily gossip, this little love story you have going on is so romantic!" Sakura winked at her as the three stood in the hallway as the elevator made its way up to their floor.

"Gossip." Sasuke muttered under his breath and Sakura waved a hand at him dismissively, scowling playfully. They moved to the side momentarily as the elevator slid open in front of them and a group of people poured out, before stepping inside themselves and pressing the button for the ground floor.

"I-It's not a love story, I don't even know him!" She attempted to defend herself lamely, desperately wishing to drop the embarrassing topic otherwise Sakura could go on about Hinata's love life for hours. Sakura crossed her arms and looked at Hinata slyly.

"Mhm, if you say so." Sakura hummed in a sing-song voice as a small ring resounded through the air and Hinata immediately bee-lined out of the elevator.

"It's the _truth._"

"I want to meet this mystery elevator guy already. You said he has blue eyes? Sounds dreamy." Sakura giggled as she and Sasuke caught up to Hinata's quick pace, and as she glanced to her right she thought she saw Sasuke's eyes widen for a split second before he began choking on his drink. He coughed violently while Sakura patted his back and laughed, telling him she was only joking about the 'dreamy' part.

"You know now that I'm really thinking about it," Sakura raised her hand to her chin in thought as Sasuke wiped his mouth roughly, and Hinata looked at her curiously. "It kind of sounds like you could be describing N–

"What's this about a guy in an elevator?" Sasuke asked after regaining his composure, trying to look nonchalant though from his short glance at her Hinata thought he had a curious look in his eye.

"Some guy in your building that Hinata has a huge crush on!" Sakura said before being interrupted by a soft nudge in her side and she looked at Hinata with an apologetic smile. "Hinata says they ride the elevator together every morning on their way to work, and yesterday he gave her his umbrella and paid for her cab ride. Romantic, don't you think?"

"Hm…" He replied shortly, seemingly back to his normal self and Sakura glared at him softly before resuming her conversation.

She could have been imagining it, but Hinata could have sworn that she saw a smirk on his face as he lifted his drink to his mouth once more.

"If anything happens, you'll be the first to know." Hinata said and Sakura gave a small cry of victory, graciously holding the door as the three exited the building. Hinata raised her hand in goodbye as she began heading the opposite direction. "I'm picking up Kiba on my way home, so I'll see you both tomorrow!"

* * *

"I'm telling you, this lady was crazy! I mean I've seen some really attached pet owners, but I'm pretty sure this dog's collar alone was worth more than my car."

"Maybe she just wants the best for him?"

"He's a _dog_! Explain to me how it's necessary for a dog to have a gold plated, diamond encrusted collar?"

"I suppose I can't," Hinata laughed as Kiba ran his arms down his face with a loud groan, reaching for the door to her building as the two approached the entry way and allowing him to step inside before her.

"That's because it isn't necessary! Akamaru would never let me put something as _gaudy_ as that thing on him, he's not spoiled like that dog is."

'_Says the one who takes his dog out to dinner with him.' _Hinata giggled as they got close to the elevators and noticed one almost halfway closed.

"E-Excuse me!" She called a little more loudly than she meant, slightly embarrassed to draw attention to herself in the crowded lobby. "Hold the elevator, please!"

She saw a slender hand quickly shoot forward quickly, just catching the doors before they closed and Hinata shared a relieved smile with Kiba as the doors slowly began sliding open once more.

"Woah, that was a close one! You just caught it!" Someone laughed as the doors slid open to reveal a beautiful blonde woman and–

_'Oh no. No, no, no.'_ Hinata wanted to crawl into a hole as she made eye contact with a very familiar set of blue eyes.

She wasn't sure if her timing was really good or really bad, a small part of her feeling extremely delighted at being able to see him today. A larger part of her, however, was having an internal freak out as she realized that she was _seeing him_ today with the _one person _who was sure to want to embarrass her as soon as he figured out that _this_ was the man that Hinata had been gushing over all day.

"Thanks for holding the door!" Kiba chuckled from beside her and Hinata realized very suddenly that she was staring very openly at the blonde man standing before her. She broke her eyes away from him as Kiba placed his hand on her shoulder a moment later, looking up at him as he gave her a wide grin. She could only give him a sort of half smile/half grimace before he began guiding her into the elevator and what would definitely be her demise.

Hinata Hyuga. 25 years old. Death by spontaneous combustion in an elevator.

She subconsciously felt Kiba guide her inside and press the button for the 8th floor as she looked at the two other people in the elevator with deep curiosity. If that nudge the woman had given him was any indication, the two blondes were definitely familiar with one another.

"But really, what's up with the small pets rule?" She distantly heard Kiba diverge into his very familiar rant about the pet restrictions in her building and fixed her eyes on him, all too conscious of the blonde man standing just a few inches to her right. "I keep telling you to move closer to me and Shino."

"Y-Yes, but this building is close to my work. And I…" She paused, stealing a glance to her right and feeling her face flush. She braided her fingers together tightly to resist the urge to poke them together out of her old shy habit. "I like the people."

"Okay but what do you think of a spring theme." The other woman in the elevator asked her companion, immediately grabbing Hinata's attention as she watched the woman cross her arms, deep in thought. "We could have lots of flowers and invite everyone we know! Is that too much though? Maybe we should keep it private, only close friends."

"Yeah, that sounds nice." The tall man beside her responded and Hinata felt her breath hitch in her throat.

'_A spring theme? Flowers and inviting everyone they know? I-Is he…' _Hinata felt her heart constrict in her chest as her mind raced through a million possibilities and settled on one.

'_Is he engaged?!'_

She immediately felt a deep sense of shame blanket over all of the thoughts and emotions she had been feeling for the man up until that point. What a fool she'd been! Of course someone so kind and attractive and perfect in every way like him was engaged! Never had she so desperately wished to run away as she did in that moment, fighting the urge to sink to the ground in a little ball as the blonde woman continued to talk about themes and plans for their upcoming event.

'_She's so beautiful,'_ Hinata thought sadly as she glanced briefly at the woman. It made sense that a man like him would have such a gorgeous fiancé like this woman. Her facial structure was so refined and perfect, and she was almost as tall as he was. Her hair pulled back in its ponytail, so silky and long, swayed as she turned to look at the man beside her. Hinata had always been a little proud of her hair, but suddenly felt very inadequate standing next to this bombshell of a woman. She may as well have been a model! Hinata couldn't help but think the two were a perfect looking couple; with their blonde hair and striking blue eyes. The woman's were much lighter and Hinata thought they would feel very piercing if she set her gaze on you.

Her nicely manicured nails flashed as she gestured while talking and Hinata noticed the absence of a ring on her finger. Hinata almost felt hopeful; maybe he wasn't engaged after all! But its absence could mean anything; it could have been getting cleaned or maybe they just weren't an 'engagement ring' kind of couple. Maybe they were even picking one out together! Hinata wilted at the thought of the two in a jewelry shop, perusing through multitudes of rings together until they found the perfect one.

The sliding of the elevator doors pulled her from her thoughts and Hinata noticed the man standing unmoving as his fiancé took a step forward.

"Are you gonna stand there all day?" The woman looked back at him with a curious expression, and he jumped slightly in response as though pulled from a deep thought.

"R-Right, sorry," he replied with a sigh, stepping out after the woman just before the doors began to slide closed.

"Wait!"

Hinata felt her world freeze. Was that her voice? Did she really just call out and tell him to wait? She wasn't sure when she had reached out to stop the doors from sliding closed completely, but somehow she was standing there in the middle of the doorway with her hands pressed firmly against the sides of the elevator. The man halted immediately in his trek down the hallway, turning with a look of utter surprise on his face.

"I just, um, I wanted to thank you! For the umbrella yesterday, and the taxi…" Hinata stammered as she tried to organize her thoughts. What was she thinking! She didn't know what she was doing, why she'd called out to him or even what she was trying to say. Why was she thanking him _now_ of all times, when she was so close to escaping the situation? "T-That was really kind and I'm really grateful."

"You don't have to thank me!" He said suddenly, taking a few steps back towards her as he chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed of his outburst. "I mean, it wasn't a big deal at all. I just wanted to help you out."

"Oh," Kiba's voice was laced with realization as he spoke from behind her and Hinata flinched. She'd completely forgotten he was there. "So this is the guy you were telling me about yesterday!"

She wasn't sure how, but she'd managed to make the situation a million times worse. Not only did she stumble into the elevator with the man she'd been crushing on the past few months in the middle of a conversation about his _wedding_, but she'd stumbled into the elevator with the man she'd been crushing on with the friend she'd been discussing her huge crush with _repeatedly_.

"Eh?" The blonde woman uttered in confusion as she joined the man in front of the elevator, and Hinata heart Kiba laugh moments before she felt him drape his arm around her shoulder.

"That was really cool of you to give her your umbrella! And the taxi, she was talking about it all day!"

Hinata felt her chest tighten as the words left his mouth, her face heating deeply as she blushed. Of course he was trying to embarrass her! What else did she expect to happen? He may as well have been her big brother, sizing up the man that his little sister was interested and trying to embarrass her on all levels in the process.

"K-Kiba," she tried to make her voice come out in more than a squeak and failed horribly.

"You didn't tell me about that!" The woman slapped the man's arm lightly as she turned to him and Hinata squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to hide her embarrassment.

"It was nothing," he mumbled in response, looking at the ground.

He hadn't told her about their meeting the previous day? Was it really that inconsequential to him? Or was he trying to hide it, and Hinata had foiled his plan and just exposed it? _Would that ruin their engagement?_ Did Hinata feel bad about the idea of ruining their engagement?

…Not as much as she should have.

"I-I'm still really grateful, thank you." She built up all the courage she had left and smiled at him, trying to hide the sadness she was feeling inside her. "I still have your coat, and your umbrella?"

"You can give them back another day, don't worry about it." He waved a hand at her, smiling his brilliant smile that shined all the way to her core and she could only nod in response.

"Well! We better get going, it was nice talking to you!" The woman pulled on his arm as she began leading him down the hall, waving back at Hinata and Kiba.

"Thanks again!" Kiba called from beside her as Hinata stepped back inside the elevator and thought about the two walking down the hall _together_, probably towards _their_ home that _they_ lived in _alone_, _together_, _as a couple_.

"No way."

"Kiba," Hinata sighed as he began jumping up and down beside her with a large smile.

"No way, no way! _That's_ the guy?!" He held his stomach as his body shook with laughter and Hinata refused to meet his eyes. "I'm not laughing at you or him, I just can't believe I finally got to see him!

"That girl was really pretty, don't you think?" She asked him quietly as the elevator halted in its ascent and the doors slid open to reveal the 8th floor.

"Pretty? She was _smoking hot_, but don't try to change the subject!" he pointed at her accusingly as he followed her out of the elevator.

"I-I'm not!" She flushed, looking at him with what she hoped was a serious expression but his wide grin told him otherwise. "D-Didn't it sound like…like they were talking about a wedding?"

"Hm, I wasn't paying attention. What, you don't think they're engaged do you?" He came to a stop beside her as she approached her door.

"It sounded like it," she replied quietly, unlocking the door and stepping inside with him fast behind her.

"Aw Hinata, no way!" He tried to reassure her, placing a hand on her shoulder and making her face him. "They could have been talking about anything, I'm sure you just imagined it."

"Y-You're right," she forced a smile as she looked up at him. "Let me wash up and I'll get started on dinner."

He gave her a suspicious look before seemingly deciding that she was alright, pulling her into a small hug before letting her go. She shrugged off her coat as she walked, laying it on top of the couch as she quickly made her way into the hallway and toward the bathroom door. She pulled the door open as calmly as she could before hastily closing it behind her and leaning against the wood with a shaky breath. She felt something run down her cheek and raised a hand to her face as she stood and walked to the mirror.

"It's such a silly thing to cry over."

She laughed to herself, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand as a few more droplets spilled onto her skin. She stood staring at herself for a moment, staring into her pale eyes that she thought seemed very dull and cold before looking down and turning on the faucet. Bringing her hands together she allowed the water to pool in her palms before splashing it lightly onto her face. Reaching blindly for the towel she took it in her hands and dabbed her face try before looking at herself once more. She wasn't very tall, and she tried standing on her tip toes to see more of her reflection. Her skin was a little too pale compared to sun kissed skin of the woman in the elevator, and she'd never tanned easily. Her hair was dark and a little plain, she thought as she toyed with a strand. Reaching behind her neck she gathered the long strands in her hands and brushed her hair over her shoulder, running her fingers through the thick pieces with a sad smile.

She didn't feel so proud of it anymore.


	9. Chapter 9

_Sorry for the long wait for this chapter! The next chapter will be the last part to this series and fortunately I'll have lots of time over the next few days to write. So hopefully the final part will be up before the weekend is over! Thank you to everyone who has favorited/followed this story, and thank you so much to everyone who has left me a review - I read every single one and they all put a huge smile on my face! :) Enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

"I don't know Sakura. I just don't think a blind date is really for me, you know?"

"Are you sure? I'm telling you, I really think that you and this guy would get along perfectly!" Sakura's voice came through the earpiece pleadingly and Hinata bit her lip.

"Maybe we would… I do trust your judgment." Hinata replied hesitantly, lightly chuckling as she heard Sakura's small squeal of delight.

"You would really like him, I promise! He's kind of an idiot and a huge dork, but he's really funny and outgoing! Please Hinata!"

"It's just that– I'm just still kind of upset about, well…"

"You're still upset about Elevator Guy, I understand." Sakura's voice was soft and reassuring and Hinata sighed, sinking deeper into the couch with a small frown on her face and feeling very silly for being so sad over a guy she didn't even really _know_.

Of course Sakura had been so wonderfully understanding when Hinata had walked into work a few mornings ago in a depressed state, listening intently as Hinata recounted what had happened in the elevator with her dream man and his fiancé. She'd pulled Hinata into a tight hug and told her all the right things, even managing to get them out of work early and taking Hinata to her apartment for a girl's night. Hinata wasn't sure what she had done to deserve a friend like Sakura Haruno, but she appreciated her deeply.

But despite all the comfort she gave, Sakura still couldn't pull Hinata's thoughts from the guy in the elevator.

"Well if you change your mind, let me know." Sakura managed to sound only a little disappointed, letting out a small sigh while Hinata occupied herself by picking at the fabric on her couch. "He'd been against it for awhile too, but out of nowhere he called me a couple days ago saying that he'd be willing to do it. Maybe with a little time you'll feel the same way."

"You're probably right. I'm sorry for the trouble."

"Don't apologize!" Sakura's voice came across like a mother softly scolding her child and Hinata shifted slightly in surprise. "If you don't want to do then you don't have to. If you need time then take it. Just do whatever makes you feel comfortable and happy."

"Thank you, Sakura." Hinata allowed herself a small smile, her chest swelling with warmth at her friend's kindness. Sakura always knew just quite what to say, and Hinata was quite tired of feeling sorry for herself and doing nothing but sitting at home in a slump the past few days. "Oh, hold on just a minute. I think I hear someone knocking."

"No problem," Sakura replied as Hinata stood from the couch and quickly strode toward her front door. Standing slightly on her toes she closed an eye and peeked through the door, stepping back in surprise as she saw a familiar head of messy black hair.

"Who is it, Hinata?" She distantly heard Sakura ask as Hinata unlocked her door and pulled it open to reveal a man staring at her with an impatient expression on his face. His eyes seemed to say _'about time'_ and Hinata pouted, as she hadn't made him wait long enough to deserve such an expression from him. Before she could open her mouth to question his presence he ignored her quizzical look and pulled his phone from his pocket before pressing a few buttons.

"Hinata?" The sound of Sakura's confused voice pulled Hinata from her thoughts and she opened and closed her mouth in surprise.

"Um, it's–"

"Oh sorry Hinata, that's Sasuke on the other line! I'll talk to you tomorrow, bye!" She heard Sakura's rushed goodbye as she stared at the raven haired man before her with utter confusion, his phone raised to his ear and a blank expression on his face.

"_Hey Sasuk–!"_ Hinata heard Sakura's voice come through his receiver before he promptly hung up on her midway through her greeting, merely blinking at Hinata before stepping past her into the apartment as though she'd invited him in.

"What are you…" Hinata stood in shock for one minute, and then another, before closing the door silently and following her strange friend into her kitchen as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.

"She talks forever, and I really didn't feel like waiting around an hour to get a minute to talk to you."

"Um, I guess that makes a little sense. But what are you doing here? Not that this isn't a pleasant surprise." Hinata eyed him warily as she watched him go through her cabinets one by one. She might have scolded him for inviting himself in so carelessly and digging through her things if she wasn't so completely and utterly confused.

"On the counter." He pointed to his right without looking at her, opening another cabinet and rummaging through it while Hinata followed the point of his finger until her eyes rested upon a small blue envelope that she hadn't noticed before.

"What is this?" She left the question hanging in the air rhetorically, picking up the envelope before delicately opening it. Pulling a small card from within she glanced over it quickly. "Sakura Haruno's…surprise party?"

"Figured I'd invite you since you're her friend." He replied shortly, sparing her a small glance that she met with an amused smile before turning her gaze back onto the card with a cute flower design.

"And here I'd thought you and I had moved on from acquaintances awhile ago, Sasuke... I never took you for the surprise party type." She chuckled lightly as he scoffed. "Or as one to design such a cute card." Hinata read through the invitation with curiosity, the pink script flowing across the card neatly. _'This Saturday, huh? A bit short notice but I don't think I have any other plans.'_

"Then you know me better than you think because it wasn't my idea." She watched as he pulled a clear container out of her cabinet with what was almost a tired sigh, giving her the feeling that he was thoroughly not looking forward to a surprise party.

"So you had to get Sakura off of the phone with me so the surprise wouldn't be ruined." Hinata said mostly to herself as she slowly began to understand Sasuke's actions. He merely hummed at her in response.

"It's at my apartment, so you of all people shouldn't be late. I'm borrowing your sugar."

"Okay, um do you want a container?" Hinata asked as he patted the lid of the container, ignoring her question as he walked past her towards her front door. "Or you can just take it all," she rolled her eyes playfully as she followed him.

"See you." He lifted his hand in a brief wave goodbye as he pulled the door open and quickly shut it behind him, taking her sugar and a million unanswered questions with him. She shrugged off the strange encounter with a shake of her head as her phone began vibrating in her hand, and she lifted the receiver to see Sakura's name blinking back at her.

"Hello?"

"Sorry Hinata! I'm pretty sure he just butt dialed me." Sakura laughed and Hinata chuckled weakly in response, not having the heart to tell her that her boyfriend had deliberately hung up on her. "Anyway, who was it at your door?"

"Oh, that…" Hinata smiled to herself as she picked up the party invitation once more. "Just a neighbor borrowing some sugar."

* * *

Sakura Haruno knew she had what might be considered an unhealthy habit of getting involved in her friend's love lives.

It's not that she went about her life deliberately trying to match people up with one another; it just so happened that some of her friends and acquaintances seemed to be (in her opinion) perfect matches for _other_ friends and acquaintances. And while she didn't like to toot her own horn, no one could deny the fact that all of the matches that she had managed to successfully arrange all ended up working out amazingly on both sides.

She'd known that her friend Temari would find Sasuke's friend Shikamaru Nara utterly fascinating, despite what she said about not liking lazy guys. She'd known Shikamaru wouldn't be able to resist falling for the powerful woman, despite what he said about not liking 'troublesome' and bossy women. She'd known Chouji and Karui would be instantly attracted to one another, despite Sasuke and Naruto telling her that the pair was completely out of left field and would never take any romantic liking to one another. They continued to be happily in love a year and a half later.

She'd also known from her first meeting with Hinata Hyuga that the quiet girl was a match made in heaven with Naruto Uzumaki.

Sakura wasn't really sure how she knew that the two were perfect for each other; she just _did_. Perhaps it was the way Hinata's calm demeanor contrasted so sharply with Naruto's in a way that was exactly what the blonde needed in his erratic life. Maybe it was how Naruto's warm and outgoing personality was the sort of spark that could really open Hinata up.

She didn't know. But she could imagine the countless possibilities.

The thousands of cute and amazing possibilities that only disappointed her more and more now that the Hyuga girl had rejected the idea of a blind date.

"Sakura! Pass the salt, would ya?" Naruto's loud voice got her attention quickly, and Sakura glanced at the blonde to find him wolfing spoonful upon spoonful of food into his already full mouth. She scrunched her nose at the crumbs he let spill onto his pants and the unknown speckle of food gathered at the corner of his mouth.

On second thought, maybe she could use the time to teach the blonde some manners.

"You're disgusting." Sasuke eyed the blonde warily as Sakura handed him the salt shaker and Naruto swallowed before sticking his tongue out at his friend.

"I haven't eaten all day, alright? Sue me."

"Idiot." Sasuke muttered with a small smirk.

"Anyway, Naruto," Sakura intervened quickly as Naruto raised his spoon threateningly, watching the two eye each other sharply. "About that blind date."

"Oh, I forgot! So how'd it go, what did she say?" Naruto asked, swallowing a large mouthful before looking towards Sakura hopefully.

"Blind date?" Sasuke looked to her questioningly, and she paused in thought.

"I never told you, did I? I've been trying to set Naruto up on a blind date for a few weeks now, but he kept turning me down until a few days ago." She paused to shoot the blonde an accusing glare and he chuckled apologetically.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't interested then!"

"You and your match making." Sasuke shook his head at her with disappointment and Sakura slapped him on the arm playfully, smiling brightly when she noticed the ghost of a smile on his mouth as he picked up his glass and took a drink.

"So she said yeah, right?" Naruto asked and Sakura grimaced lightly, looking into his hopeful eyes with empathy.

"_Actually_, she said no…" She frowned as his face fell slightly and he fell back in his seat with a pout.

"Of course she did, I'm going to be single forever."

"Who were you trying to set him up with?" Sasuke gave her a suspicious look and Sakura flushed lightly.

"Eh heh," she shrunk under the suspicious look he was giving her, turning to pick at her food to try and alleviate some of the pressure his gaze was putting on her. Naruto ran his hands over his face with a groan, muttering something to himself about dying alone with 10 cats. "I was actually thinking of setting him up with Hinata; don't you think they'd be cute together?"

A few seconds passed without a reply and Sakura turned to look at him with a confused expression. Wasn't he going to scold her? Tell her she was being silly? Did he not think they'd be a good couple? Or maybe he _did_ and was shocked into silence by her genius?

"Hinata, huh…" He replied softly and Sakura gasped lightly as she watched him place a hand over his mouth in a discreet attempt to hide the smile forming on his face.

"S-Sasuke?" She sputtered in confusion and turned to face him fully as he refused to meet her eye. She pulled on his arm to try and make him face her. "What's so funny?! You're freaking me out! You know it's not a bad idea, don't laugh!"

"I'm not laughing." He turned to face her fully with a straight face and she stared back at him blankly. Had she been imagining it? No, she was sure that she saw the corners of his mouth lifted into a small smile. What was with him?

"I actually think it's not a bad idea. I'll mention it to her again and see what she says." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"…Are you sick or something?"

"What? No, why would you even ask that." He looked at her with his brow furrowed in confusion and Sakura crossed her arms in response.

"You've been acting so strange lately, and now _you_ of all people are trying to set Naruto up on a date? Maybe I'm rubbing off on you," Sakura smirked playfully and Sasuke scoffed and turned away from her.

"All I'm saying is, at this rate, the idiot is going to be single forever," Sasuke responded and Naruto shouted in objection. Sakura watched the two argue back and forth with a curious quick to her brow.

"You asshole, you think you're so cool just because you already have a girlfriend?! Let me remind you of the huge mess you were when you were trying to get the courage to tell Sakura you liked her!"

"Whatever. Don't accept my help then." Sasuke scowled in response, roughly picking up his plate and standing from their table. "It'll resolve itself soon anyway."

"What was that?" Sakura asked, but he turned away stubbornly and headed toward the trash can with stiff strides.

"Forget him Sakura, he's just being Sasuke." Naruto waved his hand dismissively before picking his spoon up once more and resuming his meal.

"Yeah, I guess…" She said quietly, watching as Sasuke began emptying his plate into the trash.

'_Maybe he's right; I'm worrying too much…_' She chuckled at Naruto as he began choking on one of the large bites he insisted upon taking. She looked toward Sasuke as he began making his way back to their table with a foul expression and smiled.

'_It'll all work out on its own.'_


	10. Chapter 10

_This was going to be the last chapter but of course I decided to add one more lol. So the next chapter will be the last one and you'll all get the resolution you've been looking for. :) Special thanks to Satoorihoya (_ _), SpicyWifey, mapplepie, LovelyLori, Angi sleeps, Usa-chan, XxXangelkunouchiXxX, Cookie-chan99, long live marshmallows, ZirconK, NaruHinaRyu, narujordanna, lala1224, and wondxrlust for your amazing reviews! And thank you to everyone who has favorited/followed this story! :)_

* * *

The Wednesday before the party Hinata avoided the elevator.

She knew she was being a bit childish, dragging her time as she got ready that morning and ate her breakfast extra slowly. She didn't mind if she was a bit late to work, or even if she was written up by her supervisor because of it; Hinata Hyuga did _not_ want to be stuck in a confined space with the elevator guy for any period of time.

It took her five minutes to build the courage to press the button and an agonizingly slow trip past the 7th floor for her to see that he would not be joining her that morning.

Relief and disappointment simultaneously filled her being and she frowned, pausing for a moment before stepping out into the lobby. She tried and failed to make sense of the conflicting emotions inside her, partially happy that he wasn't there yet deeply saddened by it as well. She walked to work while trying to decide if she felt guilty that she was relieved or selfish for unconsciously hoping to see him in the first place. She had an entirely unproductive work day as she wavered between relief, disappointment, and shame. She walked home in silence, and as she entered her apartment for the evening she'd decided.

She was frustratingly disappointed.

* * *

The Thursday before the party she decided that she wanted to see him.

She had no idea what she wanted to say, or what she wanted to do. She ate cereal at her dining room table in silence, eyes fixed on the dark blue umbrella learning beside her door and the dry-cleaned suit jacket hanging from her coat rack.

She placed her bowl in the sink and gathered her purse and paperwork before walking assuredly to her door and taking the intrusive items in her hands. Maybe if she got rid of them she'd finally stop thinking of him at all hours of the day and night. Maybe if she returned them to him like she should have days ago she would stop having to resist the urge to run her fingers over the fabric of his coat, and not relive the experience of him placing it over her for the thousandth time. She would give him his things, express her gratitude to him once again, and if he wanted to be her friend then so be it.

And if he wanted to run away with her and leave his fiancé behind then that was fine with her as well.

She called the elevator and stepped inside, her mind set on finding out where they stood (as though their vague, almost laughable excuse of familiarity with one another had any sort of definition in the first place). Her breath hitched as she watched the needle slow to a halt on the 7th floor, the elevator ringing as the doors slid open. Fixing what she hoped didn't look like a forced smile onto her face she looked towards the door and immediately felt her smile droop into a frown as a brown-haired man entered the elevator. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she tried to calm the tension that had so suddenly built inside her only to be fizzled out just as quickly, scooting to the side slightly to make more room for the man as he took the place beside her.

"Is it supposed to rain today or something?" He nodded toward her umbrella and Hinata was sure her smile was more of a grimace as she turned to him.

"Um, no, but you can never be too careful." She lifted the umbrella slightly with a forced laugh before turning her gaze on the wall and feeling absolutely mortified, ignoring the way the man shrugged in response.

She walked straight to work with the coat on her arm and umbrella in her hand both feeling like a hundred pounds, regretting using her time so leisurely the previous morning and giving her no time to head back upstairs to drop them off unless she wanted an actual write-up instead of just another warning that day. She avoided the curious looks she received as she walked past her co-workers offices and desks with an umbrella on a clear day and a man's coat hanging over her arm, swiftly entering her office and closing the door behind her before allowing herself to cover her face with her hands and flush in humiliation.

She arrived home that evening and threw herself onto the couch, finally admitting to herself that the man in the elevator had driven her completely insane.

* * *

The Friday before the party she'd had enough.

Was she going to live the rest of her residential life in her building in fear of ever seeing him again? Possibly, but if there was any chance of getting rid of the weighted emotions in her heart then she would take that chance. His presence had becoming recurring and constant over the past few months and it was foolish of her to hope that she would never see him again and just completely ridiculous to keep trying to avoid him in the mornings.

No. Friday was the day that she would settle everything.

And so she woke up early, spent a little more time than usual fixing up her hair and makeup, and grabbed something quick to eat before heading straight down to the lobby with an umbrella in her right hand and a suit jacket in her left. Perhaps she was being silly, she thought as she made her way to a seat close to the elevator and began her wait for the elusive man. It wasn't like she'd had any claim to him that gave her a right to feel jealous of his blonde fiancé for stealing him away from her. If anything, she should have just shrugged the encounter off and moved on with her life.

It wasn't as though she'd never been disappointed in her love life. After all, there'd been many times when a date hadn't worked out like she would have liked and times where she waited too long to confess her feelings toward someone and missed a potential opportunity to love and be loved. But something about this time was…different. Something about this particular man struck her deeply, despite having only had one real conversation with him. Something about him made her hopeful, made her heart quiver when he was near and made her feel like a schoolgirl with a silly crush again.

Maybe she'd been too hopeful. She'd caught him staring at her more times than she could count and she wanted to believe that he wanted to talk to her, found her interesting, or maybe felt the same way about her. He probably just thought she was strange, as anyone would after taking the elevator with the same person everyday only to have that person never start any form of conversation with them.

She sighed deeply. She was completely hopeless.

"I haven't seen your face in a few days."

Hinata nearly jumped out of her skin, her gaze shooting up to the familiar man standing before her with a small smile on his face. She felt even smaller than usual, staring up at him from her seated position and stood a little more quickly than she meant to, causing him to step back slightly in surprise.

"Sorry!" Hinata didn't know what she was apologizing for, but the word slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it. She coughed, smiling slightly as she attempted to regain her composure before him. "I've been, um, sick."

He looked at her curiously, his eyebrow quirked ever so slightly and she thought she saw the corner of his mouth lift the tiniest bit with unspoken amusement. His blue eyes burrowed into her deeply and she felt the familiar flutter of her heart beating erratically in her chest before quickly looking away.

"That's too bad. I hope you're feeling better." She heard him reply after a moment and peeked at him shyly only to find him looking away from her, instead staring down at his feet with a blank look on his face that she couldn't read no matter how desperately she tried.

"I am… thank you…" She replied quietly, speaking barely above a whisper and feeling as though anything louder might break the fragility of the encounter.

He seemed strange that day, she thought as she took in the entirety of his face while his attention was off of her. His eyes seemed a little duller, his smile not painted across his face like she was so used to seeing. She started in surprise as she realized what exactly strange about him.

He was sad.

She felt almost foolish for coming to the conclusion so late, his behavior so opposite as to what she was used to seeing. She was accustomed to the warm smile permanently displayed every time he walked into the elevator, the sparkle in his eye as he greeted her in the morning, and the way he carried himself so confidently as they walked out of the building. In comparison to the man she was used to seeing, he gave off an entirely different impression. The hint of a smirk that she'd thought she had seen completely gone from his face, and he seemed lost in deep thought with unfocused eyes reflecting a hundred different emotions as though he was searching for something inside himself.

She felt the assertiveness that she'd collected to return his items dissipate. How was she supposed to return his items and move on with her life when he was standing before her with such a solemn expression on his face? Rather than give him his belongings and try to forget her feelings for him, she only wanted to take his hand in her own and comfort him. She wanted to take his chin in her hand and lift his gaze to her own, if only to show him the concern in her eyes that she was sure she couldn't express in words without turning into a blubbering mess.

This was going to be much harder than she thought.

"A-Are you…okay?" She stammered hesitantly, cursing herself for sounding so timid but forgetting the thought as his gaze shifted onto her immediately, his blue eyes looking at her with surprise.

"Ah, I'm fine! Just a long night, you know?" He chuckled, running a hand through his hair and leaving Hinata thoroughly unconvinced. Her brow furrowed in concern but she forced herself to leave the subject alone. If he was upset it was none of her business, and if anything she could be bringing up something that he'd rather not talk about. If that were the case, she'd be pushing herself further from developing any sort of friendship with him.

"I was actually waiting for you." She said, holding her breath as she awaited his response.

"You were?" His voice held a hint of disbelief and she smiled at the confused expression on his face.

"Yes, well, I thought it was about time that I returned these to you." She lifted his belongings in her hands and he stared at them blankly for a few moments before he seemed to recall that they were his.

"Oh that's right! I forgot you still had these, thank you." He grinned at her, but instead of warming her heart his smile only served to make it clench. _'He'd already forgotten about giving them to me.'_ Her smile faltered for a moment. While she had spent the past few days reliving that encounter over and over with happiness and longing, he hadn't given it a second thought.

'_He's engaged, what else did I expect?'_ Her smile slowly fell as she vaguely watched him place the umbrella strap around his wrist and inspect the jacket curiously. She supposed she didn't expect anything, only hoped that he hadn't just given her his umbrella and jacket and paid for her cab out of the kindness of her heart. The smallest, most hopeful part of her was crazy enough the hope that it meant just a little more and that some part of him, even a small part, potentially held any of the same kinds of feelings for her that she held for him.

That smallest part of her felt very foolish.

"Wow, did you get it dry-cleaned? Thanks, you didn't have to!" He smiled at her and she stared at him silently for a moment, allowing that small part to selfishly indulge in his smile one more time.

"It was nothing, thank you for your kindness. Goodbye." She gave him a small smile and bowed her head slightly, turning and walking past him to the lobby doors with her gaze fixed ahead as every inch of her being screamed at her to turn and look back at him.

Naruto stared after her, watching her walk until she had disappeared from his sight before he allowed his smile to fall and be replaced with a wistful expression. He briefly wondered if she smiled like that at her boyfriend all the time, and the thought immediately upset him.

Looking down at his coat and umbrella he suddenly felt very empty; as though she had somehow severed the only thread he had connecting himself to her and removed her from his life.

"Maybe it's for the best." He mumbled as his fist tightened around the cloth of his jacket before he threw it over his arm and walked outside into the cool morning air. He paused, looking down the sidewalk where she had just disappeared into the throng of morning commuters and hoping momentarily that she might come back.

He sighed, turning the opposite way with a shake of his head and heading towards his office with the vague feeling that with she had left something broken behind with her goodbye.


	11. END

_Finally after so long the last chapter of this short series! It took way longer to finish than I originally anticipated, but thank you all so much for being patient with me. Special thanks to Satoorihoya, matchaball, Faolan Rei, valerie, animeistight36, narujordanna, tactics2012, ZirconK, and incmplete for your reviews, and thank you to everyone else who has reviewed earlier chapters or favorited this fic. You've all made this my most popular fic on FF to date! :) I really hope you all enjoy this last chapter!_

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She'd been staring at her closet for 30 minutes.

Hinata had never considered herself someone who put much thought into their appearance, always having preferred comfort over style. She didn't concern herself with the world of fashion or the latest designers or styles. Hanabi liked to tease her about her lack of fashion knowledge, offering unwarranted advice as to what latest style of shoes or dresses she should buy to which Hinata rarely conceded, if only to get her younger sibling off of her back.

The longer she stared at her closet, the more she wished she'd listened to Hanabi just a little.

She heard her phone vibrating in the room behind her and turned away from her closet with a sigh, walking the few feet into her bedroom. She smiled as she saw the familiar name on her caller ID, answering the call and lifting her phone to her ear in one swift motion.

"Don't tell me; you're standing in your closet with no idea what you want to wear." Hanabi's amused voice came through the receiver clearly and Hinata shook her head with a small laugh.

"Actually I had to step out of the closet to answer your call," Hinata replied and Hanabi's loud laugh was the only response as Hinata stepped back into her closet with an exasperated sigh. "What do people even wear to surprise parties? Or parties in general? How casual is too casual?"

"You're hopeless." Hanabi said, her voice laced with playful sarcasm. Sometimes Hinata thought the girl knew her _too _well_._ "Luckily for you, I knew this would happen and planned ahead."

"What do you–?" Her question was interrupted by a sharp knocking on the door, and Hinata's heart skipped with happiness for a brief moment as she all but ran into the living room and towards her front door. Without pausing to peep through the peephole she threw the door open, a wide smile stretching across her face as her eyes locked with another set of silver orbs.

"What can I say, you have an amazing sister." Hanabi shrugged nonchalantly, hanging up the phone in her hand before stepping forward and embracing her sister in a tight hug.

"You're as cocky as ever." The corner of Hinata's mouth tugged up into an amused smile as she stepped aside to let Hanabi in, taking note of the large bag she carried in her left hand.

"I prefer…confident." Hanabi turned to face her with a sly smile on her face, her eyes twinkling with mischief and Hinata shook her head as she closed and locked the door.

"What are you doing here?" Hinata asked as kindly as she could and Hanabi thrust the bag toward her sister in response.

"Saving you from your fashion crisis, isn't it obvious? When was the last time you went to a party? Or any kind of gathering of people your own age?" Hanabi taunted her lightly and Hinata pouted, hoping to salvage some of her dignity by not responding to the questions. She wanted to feel offended, but instead took the bag from her sister's outstretched hands with brimming curiosity. She walked further into her living room and placed the bag on the table with Hanabi close behind her before opening the mysterious gift.

"H-Hanabi…" Hinata sputtered as her eyes finally rested on the contents of the bag, placing her hands inside and lifting the object of her attention out delicately so she could examine it more closely. Hinata ran her fingers gingerly across the dress in her hands, slowly picking out various shades of blues and purples that complimented her eyes and hair perfectly.

"Well, what do you think? It's perfect right for the floral theme right? A little too girly for me, but I saw it and knew it would look perfect on you. No need to thank me, it's what I do." Hanabi waved a dismissive hand as Hinata's attention looked between her and the dress with awe and gratitude.

"Hanabi it's _beautiful_." Hinata fawned, flipping the dress over to get a look at the back before clutching it to her chest delicately.

"Go try it on then! You wasted all your time standing in your closet, you've only got," she paused to look at the watch on her wrist. "15 minutes before the party starts!"

"I owe you." Hinata placed her hands on Hanabi's shoulders with a relieved sigh before quickly making her way into her bedroom. Closing the door behind her she stripped her clothes, leaving them strewn across the floor and promising herself to pick them up after the party. Taking the dress once more in her hands she lifted it over her shoulders, careful to not get any of her makeup on the fabric as she stretched her arms through the armholes. Pulling the material further down her body she felt the cloth lay against her skin snugly before she walked into her bathroom and examined herself in the mirror.

She couldn't suppress the girlish sigh that escaped the lips as she caught sight of her reflection, further admiring the dress rather than herself and feeling slightly self conscious despite how perfect she thought it was. '_Leave it to Hanabi to know everything I'd nitpick at,' _Hinata chuckled to herself as she crossed her arms. The neckline came up to the bottom of her neck and hid her cleavage while the length was long enough that she'd feel comfortable sitting and standing without having to pull it down every few minutes. Turning to look at the back of the dress she noticed that most of her back was revealed, in what was both a tasteful yet subtly daring style that wasn't enough to make her feel scandalous, but just the right amount to make her feel…_pretty_.

"It's perfect, thank you." Hinata said as she re-entered her living room where Hanabi leaned expectantly with a couch. Her eyes lit up as she took in her sister's image before her, stepping forward and walking around Hinata in circles as she examined the dress fully.

"Not bad, big sis." Hanabi looked her up and down with a satisfied nod. "Here, I brought you these too."

Hinata's brow furrowed in confusion as she watched her sister approach the bag once more, reaching inside and pulling out a pair of nude flats. She lifted them with a teasing smile, holding them out loosely with two fingers and Hinata took them gratefully, holding on to the couch ledge as she slipped each onto her feet.

"Okay," Hinata said as she stood and straightened the skirt of her dress before holding her hands to the side and looking at Hanabi expectantly. "How do I look?"

"Two thumbs up!" Hanabi grinned, balling her hands into fists with her thumbs raised and Hinata smiled in relief. "Now get out there and find yourself a boyfriend."

"Hanabi…" Hinata gave the young girl a warning look and received a sly smirk in response.

"What? This is the perfect opportunity for you to get out and find someone your age that can _finally_ help you get over elevator boy." Hanabi followed her sister towards the front door as the latter gathered her purse from the table next to the door.

"_Finally_?" Hinata repeated with a hint of defense. It had only been three days, she told herself with a small pout as she shrugged the strap of her bag onto her shoulder. Surely that wasn't more time than was necessary to get over a person whom she'd rarely spoken to that she had an embarrassingly large crush on only to find out that he was engaged.

People took longer to get over smaller things than that, she was sure.

"I expect you to come back with at least two phone numbers. And I'll be here when you get home. To hear all the details, of course." Hanabi said as she pulled Hinata's front door open before turning to her sister with a wicked gleam in her eye. "That is, unless you plan on bringing someone home?"

"Just what kind of person do you think I am?!" Hinata exclaimed, looking at her sister with a slack jaw and eyes wide with surprise. Hanabi, however, could only laugh at the bright blush that was gracing her sister's face.

"Stay out late and come home safe! Or even better, go home with someone else." Hanabi winked before shortly closing the door in Hinata's face just as she turned to give her sister a stern piece of her mind.

"That girl." Hinata huffed as she turned to walk down the hall with loud steps, making a mental note to have an in-depth discussion of what precise sexual morals her younger sibling possessed when she returned home.

Quickly approaching the elevator, Hinata pressed the call button as she checked her watch. Luckily Hanabi hadn't distracted her enough to make her late and she'd be arriving right on time. Her eyes lifted to the needle above the elevator lingering on the number one, and she sighed as her thoughts began to wander to the man her sister had just been encouraging her to get over.

She felt her heart sink in her chest as she recalled her meeting with him the previous morning, replaying the encounter for the thousandth time in her head. She still could not fathom what had come over her as she walked away from him so shortly, telling him goodbye as though she would never see him again. Maybe she'd hoped that he might call out to her and confess his undying love, or chase her down the street and kiss her.

She'd definitely been watching too many romance movies.

She still didn't even know his name! She groaned to herself, placing her hands over her face as though it might hide the shame she felt. She was going to see him again, repeatedly, almost every day for as long as she lived in her building and the only thing she would be able to think about is the fantastical romantic attraction she'd imagined between the two of them without knowing so much as a thing about him. Had she been too forward by sitting in the lobby and waiting for him? Did he think she was strange, or worse, _a stalker_?

The ringing of the elevator doors momentarily distracted her from her thoughts, and she stepped inside the contraption and raised her hand to press the button for the seventh floor before freezing. She was going to Sakura's surprise party in Sasuke's apartment. Sasuke lived on the seventh floor.

_The man in the elevator lived on the seventh floor._

The elevator ringed at her, indicating the need for a response as Hinata stood rigidly with her hand outstretched towards the waiting buttons. What if she saw him? It wasn't unrealistic of her to be concerned about it, she tried to rationalize the anxiety she felt in her bones. He lived on the same floor, it was a Saturday evening and he could be leaving his apartment at that exact moment to go out and do any number of things. He could be taking out his trash, heading to pick up some milk, or even going out to see his….

She stopped her train of thought with a shake of her head before it could hurt her. '_I said I was moving on, so why can't I get him out of my head?_' Her brow furrowed in frustration and before she could stop herself she reached her hand forward completely and pressed the seventh button. The elevator doors slid closed before her and she stepped back further into the elevator, leaning against the back wall with a deep breath. Even if she did see him, it didn't matter. She was going to see him many more times and that was something she was just going to have to get used to. Just because he was engaged doesn't mean she wasn't allowed to talk to him anymore, only that she couldn't hope for anything more than friendship from him.

That was something she hoped she could live with.

The elevator rang all too quickly, and Hinata briefly felt foolish for taking the elevator down a single floor in the first place. Convincing herself it was a force of habit she watched as the elevator doors slid open to reveal an empty hallway before her and couldn't help the way her heart began to beat rapidly in her chest. Sure she could get used to seeing the man in the elevator, that didn't mean she _wanted _to see him currently.

With a small gulp she slowly peeked out of the elevator, turning her head left and right as she scanned the halls for any sign of blonde hair. Finding the hallway empty she stepped outside the elevator and began making her way down the hallway to Sasuke's door with quick strides, peeking over her shoulder every other second as her hands twitched with anxiety.

"I feel like some sort of criminal," she muttered as she slinked along the hallway trying to make as little noise as possible. She knew she was being ridiculous, that the chances of the man in the elevator being out in the hallway at that moment and running into her were very slim. Despite that knowledge she felt more and more at ease as she quickly approached her destination.

Nearing the door she began to hear the muffled sounds of voices chattering from behind the wall mixed with light music and felt a bit of unease return. Was her outfit appropriate? She wasn't sure if she was over- or under-dressed and didn't entirely know which was worse. She paused as she placed her hand on the door handle, briefly wondering how many people were inside and if she would feel out of place. How many friends of Sakura's didn't she know? They were probably much cooler and funnier than Hinata was. Would she spend the night in the corner feeling foolish and lonely? Who would she talk to? Sasuke? The thought alone put an amused smile on her face and she felt some of her worry slip out of her.

'_None of that matters. I'm here for Sakura._' Hinata felt a small smile form on her face. Sakura was one of Hinata's closest friends, and regardless of how out of place she might feel at her surprise party she would be there to celebrate her friend's life.

With an assured feeling back in her heart, Hinata raised her hands and knocked three times on the door before waiting patiently. She heard a few scuffles on the other side of the wood before the door was shortly opened by a girl with black hair that Hinata didn't recognize.

"Are you here for the surprise party?" The girl asked with a smile after quickly looking Hinata up and down.

"Ah, yes." Hinata responded quietly, smiling as the girl grinned in response before stepping aside and allowing Hinata to enter. Shutting the door behind Hinata the girl quickly resumed her conversation with her companions, leaving Hinata feeling alone and very vulnerable.

Taking a few steps further into the apartment Hinata tried to ignore how utterly _awkward_ she felt entering the gathering, instead focusing her attention on the layout and decorations that hung from the walls and ceiling. The apartment seemed to be set-up in a fashion very similar to her own, a few things on opposite sides and seemingly larger due to its two bedroom/two bath floor plan as opposed to her own single bed/bath apartment. Floral decorations littered the walls with various flower arrangements strewn quite tastefully around the area. She briefly wondered if Sasuke had decorated before dismissing the thought with an amused chuckle. While the man was pretty sophisticated, in her opinion he didn't seem like the type of person to be so well versed in the floral craft. Hanabi had, with all her finesse, somehow managed to find Hinata a dress that complemented the party's color scheme perfectly, and Hinata found some reprieve in knowing that she was neither over- nor under-dressed.

Crossing her arms over her chest Hinata turned her attention back onto the people in the room. A good 15 or so people were already gathered in the living room, separated into their own cliques by what Hinata assumed was their familiarity with Sakura. Perhaps they were old friends from high school, or people who lived in the same apartment building with her, or maybe even some relatives. Hinata felt very small and almost wished that Hanabi had brought her heels to wear instead, as she found herself tip-toeing to see over the heads of people as she searched for Sasuke or any other familiar face. She found herself wishing that the other co-workers she'd mentioned Sakura's party to had been available to come so that she wouldn't feel so alone, but the thought immediately left her mind as her eyes locked onto a familiar man standing alone in the corner with his hands in his jacket pockets. With surprised eyes she immediately approached the man with a smile on her face.

"Shino! What in the world are you doing here?" Her eyes lit up as she wrapped her arms around the man in a tight hug which he returned with his own stiff squeeze.

"Why am I here? Because I was invited to the party of course." Shino replied with his usual flat manner of speaking, adjusting his sunglasses while Hinata giggled in response. She was grateful that she had noticed him so shortly otherwise he surely would have held a grudge against her for not noticing him sooner. She knew all too well how much he disliked being forgotten.

"You didn't tell me! Is Kiba coming as well? Why didn't you two mention something?" Hinata felt relief burst in her chest knowing that her two best friends since childhood would be there, and she wouldn't be spending the evening alone.

Of course it made sense to her in hindsight that both Kiba and Shino had been invited. The duo had met Sakura (and by extension, Sasuke) through Hinata shortly after the two women became friends, and it wasn't uncommon for the five of them to go out for an occasional drink or dinner. _'Sasuke must have invited them on his own,'_ she thought with a grateful smile. Despite his uncaring demeanor, the raven-haired man definitely knew how to make his girlfriend happy; she knew Sakura would be teary-eyed with happiness at seeing how many people cared about her and had gathered to celebrate her birthday.

"We wanted to surprise you." The smallest hint of a smile appeared on his face as Hinata shook her head fondly at his explanation, feeling so loved by her two friends. "Kiba will be upset that I've surprised you without him," Hinata thought he almost sounded pleased by the thought. "He's running late, but will be arriving shortly."

"I was so worried that I wouldn't have anyone to talk to all night." Hinata confided in him with a relieved sigh. "But now that I know you two will be here by my side, I feel so much better."

"We'll always be by your side. Why? Because we care for you deeply." Shino nodded his head softly at her and she placed a hand on his arm in an expression of gratitude. A tuft of spiky black hair in her peripherals caught her attention and Hinata turned to see Sasuke carrying liter bottles of soft drinks into the kitchen, a small scowl on his face that Hinata knew was brought on by the large amount of people littering his apartment.

"Excuse me for a moment, I'm going to say hello to Sasuke." She smiled at Shino, waiting until he showed her a sign of acknowledgement before walking through the small throng of people into the kitchen area where the stoic man stood.

"I'm sure that you're loving having all of these people in your apartment," she said with a hint of amusement, smiling as the man looked at her with briefly surprised eyes before allowing his face to sink into his signature scowl.

"Glad you could make it." He replied shortly, and Hinata tried not to laugh out loud at the complete sense of dissatisfaction he was emitting into the air around him.

"Of course. Is there anything that I can help with; food or straightening up or…?" She trailed off and noticed the brief flash of gratitude in his eyes as he hummed at her and pointed to the pantry along the far side of the kitchen.

"You can grab the plastic dinnerware out of the cabinet and lay it out on the counter over here. Other than that, you can relax Hyuga."

Hinata walked the short distance to the pantry, opening the cabinet doors and quickly finding the plastic utensils and dishware that Sasuke was speaking of. Taking the items in her hands she nudged the pantry door closed with her hip before walking back next to Sasuke and depositing them onto the counter.

"What time is she going to be getting here?" Hinata asked as she began opening one of the plastic bags containing forks and spoons, placing them in a plastic cup for easy accessibility as she glanced at Sasuke from the corner of her eye.

"Around 7 o'clock. If everything goes according to plan she's supposed to text me when she gets here so we can get ready." He replied without looking at her and Hinata couldn't help but feel a bit excited to surprise her friend. She continued setting up the plates and cups in a neat line to be picked up by the party guests, feeling a comfortable familiarity as she worked beside him.

"By the way," he began almost hesitantly and Hinata looked over at him in surprise. Sasuke Uchiha was the _last_ person to carry a conversation with someone, and his furthered communication with her was surprising to say the least. His movements were slow, almost repetitive, as though he was thinking about something deeply and hesitating on whether he should bring the thought to light.

"Yes?" She asked just as hesitantly, watching as he continued organizing for the party while giving Hinata a suspicious feeling.

"You've never met my roommate." He stated it more as a fact than as a question, briefly glancing at Hinata long enough for her to see the light of something mischievous in his eye. He continued working, the corner of his mouth tilted up ever so slightly and making Hinata feel uneasy, as though he knew something she didn't or was teasing her somehow.

"I haven't. This is the first time I've ever been to your apartment." Hinata replied, opening another bag of plastic cups and placing them onto the counter.

"He'll be here soon; he went to get more ice with another of Sakura's friends." He looked at her fully, his neutral expression back on his face and Hinata wondered briefly if _she_ was going mad imagining things or if the stress of having a party thrown in his apartment had made _Sasuke_ go mad.

"I see." She smiled at him, feeling impish underneath his gaze like he was searching for something in her eyes. "I'd love for you to introduce me to him."

"He's a complete idiot," Sasuke turned away from her finally and she sagged in relief. "But I have a feeling you'll take a liking to one another. Excuse me; I need to go get something out of the other room."

Hinata stared at his back as he walked away from her, deeply disliking the feeling of being left out of whatever loop of knowledge Sasuke was in. With a shrug of her shoulders she finished up arranging the utensils and plates that Sasuke had tasked her with just as she heard the front door open once more and a multitude of voices greeting the new guest warmly.

"We were wondering where you got off to Naruto!"

"Hehe, sorry! You know Ino; she makes even the simplest of trips a huge hassl- Ouch!"

Hinata froze immediately as the deep, all too familiar voice resounded in her mind while the name '_Ino_' burned itself onto her eardrum. The plastic forks she was holding slipped from her fingers, clattering onto the counter lightly as her breath hitched in her throat.

"I do _not _make anything a hassle, thank you very much." Hinata turned slowly as a sharp female voice retorted an angry response, her eyes hesitantly traveling across the room towards the front door as her heart thumped wildly in her chest.

'_What are the chances,'_ she repeated to herself over and over again in her mind, her breath hitching in her throat and making it difficult to breathe as she desperately hoped to not see two heads of blonde hair in Sasuke's entryway. _'I mean, Ino isn't that rare of a name, I'm sure that there are lots of Ino's in this area alone! The chances of it being __that__ Ino are–'_

"Oh, no." Hinata shook her head in denial as her vision settled upon the two tall blondes greeting guests by the doorway, the taller of the two holding a bag of ice in each of his arms. His smile radiated all the way across the apartment to her, the blue of his eyes striking sharply against the yellows and pinks that decorated the walls. She gripped the counter behind her as she unconsciously took a step back, her mind racing a thousand miles a minute as she tried to process what was happening before her.

'_What are they doing here?!' _Hinata wanted to scream into a pillow to release the emotion that was building inside of her as she stared with wide eyes at the couple greeting more and more guests. _'How are they–, I don't understand!' _

How did the two know Sakura? Had they met through the man in the elevator living on the same floor as Sasuke? Maybe it was complete coincidence. Maybe he was even at the wrong party! Her eyes moved towards the bags of ice in his hands and Sasuke's words resounded in her head once more.

"_He went to get more ice with another of Sakura's friends."_

She gasped in understanding just as a pair of icy orbs locked with her own, the latter widening in surprise and pointing an accusing finger in her direction as she elbowed her companion.

"Hey Naruto, isn't that…?" Ino furrowed her brow in confusion as glanced quickly at the man beside her. Naruto looked down at her with a quirked brow, seeing the confusion on her face and following the point of her finger to a figure standing alone in the kitchen staring straight back at him.

He nearly dropped the ice from his hands in shock.

"T-That's–!" He sputtered in confusion, heart thumping loudly in his chest from just the sight of her as he unconsciously began making his way into the kitchen where she stood.

He couldn't help the way his eyes locked onto her, his heart fluttering with what he couldn't decide was anxiety or joy. Her long hair flowed past her shoulders and down her back, contrasting against the color scheme that Ino had set up in their apartment. Her floral dress complimented her hair and eyes beautifully, hugging her body in ways he never knew a piece of clothing could and making him gulp.

She was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

But what the hell was she doing in his apartment?

Hinata stood frozen, watching him approach her rapidly and screaming at her feet to move and take her somewhere, _anywhere_ other than standing frozen in the kitchen as the man she entirely did not want to see bee-lined towards her. Whether it was her dignity or fear that kept her from sprinting out of the apartment, she wasn't sure.

She didn't think she understood completely what was going on, other than she had a vague suspicion that the man she had been crushing on and trying to get over was suddenly at the same party she was at, heading towards her with eyes full of confusion and accusation and– was that happiness?

"Hey, Hinata." She jumped in surprise as Sasuke suddenly appeared beside her, looking down at her with a confused expression as shock was still etched onto her face. "Uh, you okay?"

"U-Um, well actually–, I-I just," she sputtered, unable to form a cohesive sentence as her eyes glanced back towards the blonde who had suddenly increased his speed, excusing himself as he haphazardly greeted the guests he passed. It didn't escape Hinata's notice the pure look of murder he held in his eyes as he glanced repeatedly between her and Sasuke; and she could only helplessly look between the blonde and Sasuke before her with a small squeak.

"Oh," Sasuke said as he noticed the man approaching them. "The idiot's back." A very satisfied smirk laid itself into his lips as he noticed the blonde's homicidal look, clutching the ice in his hands a bit too roughly as he entered the kitchen with Ino shortly behind him.

"Sasuke," Naruto growled angrily and the hint of a smile edged its way onto the raven-haired man's face.

"Took you long enough getting the ice; what, did you get lost along the way?" Sasuke asked as Naruto looked between him and the frightened girl who was slowly edging herself behind Sasuke as though she was trying to hide.

"I-I don't– Sasuke, what's going on?" Naruto head her ask in that melodic voice he'd become so fond of in such a short time, confusion and fear lacing her voice and stabbing Naruto's heart with guilt.

Naruto could only huff angrily as he opened and closed his mouth, trying to make sense of the barrage of thoughts storming in his mind as he tried to make sense of the sight before him. The last thing he'd expected when he'd returned from the errand Sasuke had sent him on was to see the woman that had been haunting his every waking thought for the past few months; much less seeing that woman _talking to his best friend as though they already knew each other._ No, they didn't just look like they knew each other. It was very clear to him in the way they looked at one another and seemed so at ease next to each other that the two were very familiar with one another.

The knowledge only served to piss Naruto off even more.

"Hinata, I'd like to introduce you to my roommate." Sasuke glanced at the girl over his shoulder, seeing her eyes widen in surprise as recognition and understanding set slowly into her expression.

"Y-Your roommate?!" She repeated incredulously, placing a hand over her chest out of fear that her heart would thump out of her chest if she didn't hold it in place. She was almost positive her blood pressure had never been so high in her life, and the confusion she was feeling in that moment was unmatched as she watched the blonde man turn his attention on his roommate.

"You've _known_ her all along?!" Naruto demanded, setting the ice down on the counter roughly before moving towards Sasuke threateningly. Ino stepped between them, stopping the man in the elevator with a firm hand on his chest.

"Can someone please explain to me _what in the world_ is going on?" Ino's voice sliced through the tension in the air, tired of the angry look Naruto had and the smug one painting Sasuke's face. "Sasuke, what is she doing here? Sorry, I mean that in the least offensive way possible." She shot Hinata an apologetic look as she realized the rude implication of her words.

"Bastard, you've been playing me all along haven't you? I bet you get a sick fucking laugh out of watching me suffer all of this time!"

"There was no way I could have known that this was the girl you've been fawning over all this time. At least, no way I could know for sure," Sasuke added with a smirk and Hinata blinked behind him.

"Fawning over? What are you talking about?" She repeated in confusion, noticing the way the man from the elevator (whose name she'd just learned was 'Naruto') flushed a deep red and refused to look at her.

"Hinata!" A voice suddenly burst through the air and Hinata's eyes shot toward the front door where a man with spiky brown hair had just entered and stood waving at her warmly. The sight made her question whether some higher being was enjoying toying with her life, laughing down at her agony from another plane of existence.

"What is _he_ doing here?!" Naruto yelled out in exasperation, wringing his hands through his hair and groaning, tired of not understanding what the hell was happening.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's going on in here?" Kiba asked as he entered the kitchen and stood next to Hinata with Shino shortly behind him, immediately sensing the thick atmosphere just as his eyes landed on the familiar blonde man. "Hey, isn't this that guy from the elevator you won't stop talking about?"

"K-Kiba!" Hinata exclaimed, a deep red settling on her cheeks as she buried her face in her hands while Naruto turned his attention back on her with a confused expression.

"What do you mean, 'won't stop talking about'?"

"Hey, and you're that cutie that was with him." Kiba smirked as he took note of Ino, grinning flirtatiously as she smiled slyly in return.

"Ino Yamanaka, and _you_ are a very fine looking piece of candy." Ino outstretched her hand with a small wink as Hinata stared at her horrified. What kind of woman was she? Flirting with another man in front of her fiancé?!

Naruto seemed to find offense with the exchange as well, as before she could open her mouth to voice her thoughts he'd taken a large handful of Kiba's shirt and shoved him back against the counter while Ino gasped and Shino instinctively moved to help defend his friend.

"Oh my God, Naruto! What the hell do you think you're doing!" Ino shouted as she pulled on the blonde man's shoulder, though he pushed her off and kept a fuming expression fixed on Kiba.

"Dude, what the fuck!" Kiba yelled angrily, clutching his own fistful of Naruto's shirt more out of confusion and retaliation than actual anger. Shino grabbed Naruto's arm to prevent him from punching the other man, while Sasuke merely watched with an all too satisfied expression on his face making Hinata think that something he had been waiting a long time for was finally coming to fruition.

"Please stop fighting!" Hinata tried to force her way into the middle of the group, pushing in a hopeless attempt to separate the two men from one another before someone got hurt.

"How fucking dare you flirt with another girl with your girlfriend standing right next to you!" Naruto yelled angrily in Kiba's face as the other party goers slowly began to take notice of the commotion coming from the kitchen and began gathering closer with attentive ears and curious expressions. "Why would you flirt with someone like Ino when you already have such a beautiful girl by your side?!"

"Excuse me?" Ino responded offensively, trying to make her way into the midst of the two men in order to land her own punch to Naruto as Shino hesitated in pushing the blonde man back, a confused expression on his face. Hinata halted her own movements, staring at Naruto with wide eyes as the weight of his words slowly hit her and brought a blush to her face.

"What the hell are you talking about?! Hinata isn't my girlfriend!" Kiba attempted to sound as angry as he could, but the quirked brow and hesitant cadence in his voice revealed how utterly mystified he was by the blonde's accusation.

"W-What?" Naruto's angry expression faltered, looking between Kiba's brown eyes and Hinata's desperate pearlescent ones with confusion.

"Alright Naruto, that's enough." Sasuke succeeded in pulling the two men apart as they all separated into two groups; Sasuke, Naruto, and Ino on one side of the kitchen and Hinata, Kiba, and Shino on the other.

"You two…you two _aren't_ dating?" Naruto asked hesitantly, pointing between Kiba and Hinata as though his mind couldn't process entirely what he was saying.

"Most definitely not." Shino answered as Hinata shook her head blankly and Kiba shot Naruto an angry look, attempting to straighten out the wrinkles Naruto's fist had put into his shirt. Hinata took note of the smile that threatened to break on Sasuke's face as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"And what about you! You're getting angry at me when your fiancé is the one who's flirting back!" Kiba retorted angrily, jabbing a finger at Ino angrily as her jaw dropped in surprise.

"What are you even saying! Naruto and I aren't, aren't…_engaged_!" She almost gagged on the word, the two blondes sharing a look of disgust as they scooted further apart from one another.

"But– But we heard you talking in the elevator! You were talking about themes for some event and what kind of people you should invite!" Hinata exclaimed, looking between the two and sharing a reassuring nod with Kiba. She felt hope fighting it's way to build in her heart and held her breath, frightened to let it grow further as she shared a glance with Naruto.

"We weren't planning a _wedding_!" Ino retorted, laughing loudly at having found something so humorous in the confusing situation they'd found themselves in. "We were talking about Sakura's surprise party! What themes we should use and who of her friends we should invite!"

Hinata felt her own smile building on her face, turning to Kiba and sharing a knowing look with him before the two burst into laughter. The muscles in her stomach ached as she tried to suppress her laughter, placing a hand over her mouth as she laughed at her own foolishness. She glanced at Naruto and found him chuckling as well, his mirth evolving into a full on laugh as understanding finally lit in his mind while Sasuke had seemingly given up on suppressing the amused smile on his face.

"I feel like such an idiot!" Hinata said in between laughs, gaining a louder laugh from Ino as the blonde woman wiped the tears forming in her eyes.

And she did feel very idiotic indeed. She'd been so caught up on this man who she'd rarely spoken to, so fixed on the idea that someone like _him_ could never gain feelings for someone like _her_ that she'd constructed a complete fallacy in her mind to reinforce her own insecurities. He wasn't engaged and he thought she was beautiful and apparently fawned over her.

The thought was enough to bring happy tears to her eyes as well.

"Um, what are you all doing here?" A voice broke though her reverie and all eyes immediately turned to the front door with a collective gasp. Sakura stood with one hand still on the handle of the front door and a look of utter confusion on her face as her eyes looked between all the occupants of the apartment.

"Uh... surprise!" Naruto responded lamely, waving his hands in what was supposed to be some sort of expression of excitement as the rest of them replied with a deflated 'Surprise' as well.

If they thought Sakura minded, the brilliant smile that lit her face told them otherwise.

"You guys!" She exclaimed in a sing-song voice, locking eyes with Sasuke and making her way across the room as she greeted all her guests on the way. Approaching him shortly she enveloped him in a loving hug.

"Sorry for the shitty surprise." He apologized, locking her lips in a sweet kiss and she pulled away shortly with a smile and a shake of her head.

"It's _wonderful_, thank you all for coming!" She jumped up and down in happiness and Hinata felt her heart swell, the dramatic encounter she'd just been in momentarily forgotten as she watched Sakura turn to Ino.

"Based on these decorations I'm guessing you had something to do with this as well," Sakura quirked a suspicious brow and Ino grinned, stretching out her arms and embracing Sakura warmly.

"You guessed right! Happy birthday, Forehead."

"You even invited Hinata!" Sakura shot a glance as Sasuke before turning her attention onto Hinata who smiled warmly. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"I wouldn't miss this for the world." Hinata replied, wrapping her arms around Sakura and squeezing her tightly, feeling much of the weight she'd been feeling on her shoulders lift as she felt the ease of her best friend's embrace.

"Happy birthday Sakura," Shino nodded his head at her while Kiba hugged her tightly.

"How old are you now, thirty?" Kiba smirked as Sakura slapped his arm playfully.

"Very funny," she replied with a small glare before returning his grin.

"Am I the only one who has no idea what's going on here?" Naruto looked between the kitchen's occupants expectantly and Sakura stepped back a moment as she took notice of the strange tension.

"Um, did I interrupt something?" She quirked a brow, looking at Sasuke in confusion and he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I was just about to kick Sasuke's ass for not telling me that he knew the girl in the elevator all this time!" Naruto seemed to recall his anger towards his friend, turning towards him as he crossed his arms and awaited an explanation.

"The who?" Sakura's question was ignored as Sasuke sighed.

"I already told you, I couldn't have known for sure that Hinata was who you were talking about. It wasn't my business anyway."

"Can someone please explain what's going on?" Sakura raised her hands as she looked between her companions expectantly and Hinata gave her a knowing look.

"Sakura…_he's_ the guy from the elevator." Hinata nodded her head towards Naruto, avoiding his questioning gaze as Sakura's eyes widened sharply, looking between Naruto and Hinata with a slack jaw.

"_Naruto_ is the guy from the elevator?!" She repeated disbelievingly and Hinata, Kiba, Shino, and Sasuke all nodded their heads collectively.

"And how do you four know each other anyway! Nothing makes sense here!" Naruto pointed between Sakura, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino while Sakura laughed heartily.

"We're friends, idiot." Kiba snarled in response and Naruto moved to stepped forward before Sasuke halted him instinctively.

"Obviously I fucking know that, smart ass. What I'm asking is _how_ you all know each other." Naruto growled and Sakura interjected quickly, raising her hands and stepping between the two groups with an amused smile on her face.

"Hold on just a second, I think I understand what's going on here." She looked between the two groups before turning to Naruto. "Hinata and I are co-workers, we talk all the time and her, Sasuke, and I all walk home together once we get off. Kiba and Shino are her best friends, I know them through her."

"Wait," Naruto halted her with a furrowed brow. "You two work together, and all walk home with one another?"

"Sasuke and I take the elevator up together every day." Hinata responded, sharing a glance with Sasuke and immediately regretting her words as Naruto turned on him with an angry expression.

"Naruto, Sasuke, and I have been best friends for years." Sakura answered Hinata's unspoken question. "I had a suspicion that he might have been who you were telling me about, but I didn't know for sure! It's kind of a funny coincidence, but he was actually who I was wanting to set you up on the blind date with."

"What do you mean she's been telling you about me?" Naruto asked Sakura, and the pink haired woman shared a knowing glance with Ino, Kiba, and Shino and the three slowly exited the kitchen with smirks on their faces.

"Listen, I'm going to make this really simple for you two." Sakura said as she placed one hand on each of their shoulders, pulling the two closer together suddenly. Hinata looked up into his blue eyes and the memory of standing so close to him in the rain entered her mind and caused her to flush.

"Naruto, this is Hinata Hyuga. She's twenty-five years old, is amazingly sweet, and has been telling me all about her morning trips in the elevator with a handsome blonde man she has a crush on for the past few months."

"S-Sakura!" Hinata interrupted suddenly, glancing at Naruto for a brief moment only to find him looking at her with wide eyes. She felt her face burn as Sakura turned to her apologetically.

"I'm sorry, but I promise I'm doing you a favor." Sakura smiled weakly before turning to Naruto once more.

"She lives on the eighth floor of this building and is the girl I was going to set you up on the blind date with, but she didn't want to go because she was upset because she thought that the guy she'd been crushing on – you – was engaged. But you're not engaged, and she really likes you, and I really think you two would be perfect together." Sakura took a deep breath, stepping back from the two with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Y-You like me?" Naruto asked in a small voice, looking down at Hinata with hopeful eyes while the rave-haired girl stared at her shoes and avoided his gaze.

"The things you pull me into." Sasuke sighed, shooting an accusing look at Sakura who smiled innocently in response before turning his gaze on Hinata, the amusement gone from his face and replaced by his normal, impatient expression. "This is Naruto Uzumaki. He's twenty-six years old and a complete idiot, but he's been bugging me every evening for months with stories about this girl he rides the elevator with every morning. We're roommates and he wanted to go on the blind date because he thought the girl he liked had a boyfriend. Sakura seems to think you two are a match made in heaven, and honestly I could care less, it's just been really funny watching you both struggle with your feelings."

"Sasuke!" Sakura gave her boyfriend a disapproving look, pouting her lip at him though if Hinata noticed his rudeness she made no indication, choosing instead to focus her full attention on the man before her. Sakura smiled at the sight before her before tugging on Sasuke's arm and exiting the kitchen to speak with the rest of her guests, entrusting her two friends to work the rest of their confusion out amongst themselves.

"To be honest, I don't really know what to say." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, a light pink laid on his cheeks as he looked anywhere that wasn't her face.

"I feel really foolish." Hinata replied with an awkward chuckle, clutching her hands together tightly in front of her as she tried to recall exactly how she'd gotten into this situation.

What Sakura had said hadn't been untrue: she did have a large crush on the man, and while she appreciated her friend looking out for her she would have preferred another occasion for the truth to come out. Gathering her courage she glanced up at the man – or should she say, Naruto – before her. His expression was unreadable, his eyes clouded with a deep thought and she assumed he was trying just as hard to make sense of the situation as she was. Could such a strange relationship between two individuals even be salvaged after such a confusing and emotional encounter like the one they'd just had? Or would they both succumb to their shame, going on with their lives while trying to pretend that nothing had happened and they hadn't been obsessing over one another for the past few months?

With a deep breath Hinata made up her mind, gathering herself and looking up at Naruto with an assured expression.

"Hello," she held her hand out suddenly and he looked at her hand and then at her face with surprise. She tried to smile as calmly as naturally as she could, though it was made difficult by the irregular thumping of her heart beating in her ears as he fixed his mesmerizing blue eyes solely on her. "My name is Hinata Hyuga."

Her brow creased with worry as he stood staring at her with shock, unmoving as she continued to hold her hand out for him to take. Maybe she'd done the wrong thing, choosing to try and salvage some sort of connection with him without considering any decision he may have made. He may have thought she was a freak for talking about him all that time, though if he did she felt offended now that she knew he'd done the same. More than likely he was as ashamed as she was, her continued presence in his life may even serve as a constant reminder of the humiliation he was feeling in that moment.

Her thoughts were silenced by a warmth in her hand, and she looked down to find his tan hand encasing her own. Her stunned gaze met his and she saw him looking down at her with a brow furrowed with determination and rosy cheeks.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. It's nice to finally meet you…Hinata."

Her feelings were only amplified by the sound of her name on his lips and she smiled warmly, eyes prickling with the threat of tears.

"It's very nice to meet you too…Naruto."

* * *

"You know, as strange as this all was it makes a really great story."

Hinata giggled as she walked down the hall with Naruto by her side, her shoes dangling from her hands and vaguely reminding her of the first time that they saw one another (despite how brief of a look she had gotten of him).

"You really didn't have to walk me up here." She told him for the eleventh time, feeling flattered that he felt the desire to walk her home yet slightly silly as she lived only one floor away from him.

He'd already spent the entire evening with her, telling her funny stories and silly jokes and generally putting her at ease in a way that no one had before. They'd both caught the other staring on more than one occasion that evening, and while the first time or so their hands brushed together may have been accidental the following ten they both knew were purposeful and calculated.

"What kind of guy would I be if I let a pretty girl walk herself home alone at 2 in the morning?" He gave her a cheesy grin and she flushed, turning her attention on the hall ahead of her to retain some sense of composure before she became a blushing mess in front of him.

If she'd liked him before, she was just about ready to fall blindly in love with him.

She didn't really know what sort of expectations she had formed of him, only that he was so much more than she could have ever imagined.

He was kind, thoughtful, and completely hilarious. He had an air to him that drew her in instantly and she found herself wanting to drown in him, wanting to completely immerse herself wholly and without hesitation in everything that he was. She peeked at him from the corner of eye, hoping that the fringe of her hair hid the blush he's permanently etched onto her cheeks.

"You know," she paused, gulping as she tentatively raised her gaze to meet his own as they approached the door to her apartment all too quickly. "What Sakura was saying…about me talking about you to her and all that–"

"Ah, don't even worry about it. Let's just forget about all of that." He waved a hand dismissively, chuckling lightly and refusing to meet her eyes. She hesitated just outside of her doorway, taking the opportunity to study his face as he stared at the wall with a furrowed brow.

"I don't think I want to forget about it." She met his eyes fully when they immediately shifted their gaze onto her, blue and gleaming with shock as she bit her lip to help her resist the urge to turn away from his intense stare. Her heart skipped with fear as he stared at her silently for one moment, and then another.

"You don't?" He repeated like he wasn't sure he had heard her correctly, unconsciously stepping closer to her so much so that they could feel the warmth radiating off of each other's body. She felt her body briefly relax as he squelched her fear of being ignored, only to immediately tense again as she realized he was expecting a response from her.

"I-I know it might be strange." She looked away from him momentarily while trying desperately to remain calm and intelligible. "Because while we're really familiar with one another, we really don't know each other at all a-and–"

"Hinata."

"Ye–?" He silenced her question by cupping her face and leaning down to bring his lips to her own in a sweet kiss. Her body froze as a shiver ran through her entire body, eyes widening as she stared straight ahead at him. She felt the pressure of his lips against his both gentle and hard, his eyes shut tightly and her own softened before fluttering closed gently. She placed one hand on his chest shakily, bringing the other up around his neck as she stood on the tips of her toes in order to deepen the kiss before she could second guess her actions and chicken out.

"I'm sorry," He said breathlessly as he pulled away after what she felt was much too short of a time, running his hands through her hair until they sat against the back of her head as he rested his forehead against her own. "But I've been wanting to do that for months."

She laughed, clutching his shirt tightly with shaky hands. She knew she should feel shocked with herself for moving forward so quickly with a man who's name she'd barely learned that day (though she justified her actions by telling herself that she'd known him for months now). Maybe the 'appropriate' thing to do would have been to politely push him away from her, tell him that she liked him but that this was all very sudden, but Hinata felt no inclination to do any of those things. But somehow, standing there in the middle of the hallway so late at night with his hands nestled softly in her hair, everything felt…right.

Hinata found herself more than content in that moment.

"I really like you, Hinata." He said as he opened his eyes, grinning so brightly that she had to respond with a smile of her own. "And I'd really like to get to know you more and take you out sometime, if that's alright with you?"

"That sounds perfect," she sighed dreamily and he smiled for a moment before leaning to close the space between them once more.

"Well what do we have here," a smug voice interrupted the moment and the two pulled away suddenly and turned their attention onto the now open door where a young girl stood with her arms crossed against her chest. "You know, when I told you to bring someone home I was only joking."

"Hanabi!"

"I'll be inside when you're done making out." She hummed as she turned away after giving Naruto a good look up and down, waving over her shoulder as she walked further into the apartment and left the two adults flushing deeply in the hallway.

"I-I should probably–"

"Me too! I mean, long night you know."

"Of course!" Hinata nodded her head vigorously as she pressed a hand against her warm cheek and feeling very much like a child who'd been caught misbehaving by their overprotective parent. With awkward movements the two hugged each other quickly before Naruto walked past her towards the stairwell, looking back every few seconds with a wave and goofy smile.

"Goodnight, Naruto." She called and he paused mid-step, turning to her with a wide smile.

"I'll see you Monday morning, Hinata."

Hanabi sat on the couch with an expectant look as Hinata closed the door behind her, leaning her head against the wood as she took a deep breath and covered her mouth where his lips had left her own tingling.

"I'm guessing _someone_ had a good night." Hanabi watched her sister with an amused smile as she placed her shoes by the door before walking into the living room and slumping onto the couch next to Hanabi.

"My night…was wonderful." She breathed, laughing lightly as she turned her head to face her sister. "But before I tell you all about it, we need to have a little talk about your sexual morality."

"Oh God, please tell me this isn't the birds and the bees talk," Hanabi groaned.

Hinata chuckled, sinking further into the couch with a shake of her head and thoughts of blue eyes and Monday morning filling her mind.


	12. Epilogue

_(FINALLY) Here's the long awaited epilogue to this story that I'd been promising to write for awhile! I really enjoyed writing this and I feel like it wraps up the story pretty nicely. Thank you to everyone who's favorited and followed this story, and an even bigger thank you to the people who've left such nice reviews and took time to send me messages saying how much you're liked the story. You've all made this my most popular story on both here and Tumblr and I honestly couldn't be happier! :) _

* * *

Naruto was convinced that he'd resigned himself to a life of cowardice.

Hinata Hyuga had an innate sort of ability to reduce him to a bumbling excuse of a man with only the briefest of looks, the smallest hint of a smile, or the lightest graze of her skin against his own. Somehow even saying her name still seemed foreign and exciting to him after so many months of referring to her with his lovingly bestowed nickname _'The Girl in the Elevator'_. He didn't know at what point in their relationship he'd become such a stuttering, frightened mess. Maybe he'd developed a mild stutter that only seemed to arise every time she looked at him with those pearly eyes. More likely, it was because every time he looked at her he thought that she was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen.

To be exact, however, it was because he was in love with her.

And it was precisely _because_ he was in love with her that he'd found himself in the troublesome position he was in.

"Good morning, Naruto." Her tired greeting pulled him from his thoughts and he looked up to see her entering the living room with slow, drowsy steps. His brow, furrowed in concentration, immediately softened upon the sight of her and an amused smile tugged as his lips as she approached him wearily.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." He replied with a light chuckle as she all but fell against him with a sigh, balling his shirt into her hands as he wrapped his arms around her before placing a light kiss onto the top of her head.

She looked up at him, resting her chin against his chest and squeezing her eyes shut against the harshness of the overhead light, and he reminded himself for what must have been the millionth time of how lucky he was to be able to hold her in his arms.

"I heard you in here grumbling." She stepped away from him slowly, lifting a hand to rub one of her eyes as she slipped the other into his waiting one with a small squeeze. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" He replied far too quickly as evidenced by the way her eyes groggily focused on him with suspicion. "Just a little stressed out because of work and all, you know?"

"Mm." She stared at him for a moment before a yawn interrupted her thought process and any trickle of suspicion she felt dissipated. "Try not to stress out too much, okay? We'd better start getting ready for work; we don't want to be late."

She stood on the tips of her toes and planted a light kiss on his cheek, rubbing her hand up and down his arm with a sweet smile before exiting the living room and heading into the bathroom to take a shower. He sighed deeply, slumping back onto the couch as soon as he heard the bathroom door close, and running his hands over his face with a small groan.

Oh yes, he was truly a coward. Not even able to ask his girlfriend of 6 months if she wanted to move in together.

Naruto sighed once more, bringing his thumb to his mouth to lightly chew on his nail as he tried to calm some of the tension in his body that the mere thought of cohabitation instilled in him. He didn't know why, but he was downright terrified to ask Hinata to move in with him. Perhaps it was because he really was a coward like he believed himself to be, or maybe because he knew they hadn't been together for _that_ long in the larger scheme of things and he wasn't really sure how she'd react, even though he'd felt that past few months with her were by far the best of his entire life.

After their whirlwind of a 'first' meeting all those months ago in his apartment they'd mutually decided to take things slow; get to know one another and catch up on all the lost time they'd spent ogling each other in the elevator without words. They'd gone on countless dates, spent as much time as they could with one another – hell, he'd even met her family! He spent as much time in her apartment as he did his own, if not more, so there was no logical reason he should be afraid to ask her to move in with him. Yet despite all the time that had passed, he still felt the same butterflies in his stomach as he did when he first saw her, still felt the same electricity run through his veins when he placed his lips against her own, and still felt the heat of his face when they finally pulled away from one another with hearts beating loudly in their chests.

He was in love with Hinata Hyuga.

Hinata Hyuga was in love with him.

And he was terrified that she wouldn't want to take the next step forward with him.

He knew the only person he had to blame for his insecurities was himself, yet he couldn't help but harbor animosity for the underlying cause of all of his problems: Sasuke Uchiha.

"_I'm going to ask Sakura to move in with me." Sasuke said without looking up from the book in his hands, ignoring the way Naruto choked on his drink from his place beside the raven-haired man on the couch and looked at him with astonished eyes._

"_Are you serious? That's great!" Naruto clapped his friend on the shoulder, noticing the hint of a satisfied smirk on his face. "It's about time you sacked up and took the next step with her."_

"_Tch, you sound pretty happy for someone who'll be homeless in a month." Sasuke scoffed, turning the page of his book as Naruto stared at him blankly, Sasuke's words resounding through his head as the cogs of his mind slowly turned._

"_What the hell do you mean I'll be homeless? Wait – you're moving __**out**__!?" Naruto pulled the book from Sasuke's hands, causing him to tut in annoyance and focus his attention on the blonde with an annoyed glare._

"_Did you think she'd be moving in here with me and you?"_

"_Well, maybe." Naruto retorted tentatively and his roommate rolled his eyes._

"_We don't need a two bedroom apartment and her building is closer to our offices. Our lease expires next month anyway." Sasuke pulled his book back from Naruto's loose grasp as the blonde's eyes furrowed in confusion._

"_But – what about me?! I can't live here on my own, the whole reason we moved in together was because it's cheaper that way!"_

"_Figure something out, it's not like I'm giving you a day's notice. I can't live here with you forever, idiot."_

The memory alone brought a scowl to his face, Sasuke's smug expression making his fingers twitch with the urge to punch him and gave him the nagging suspicion that Sasuke enjoyed seeing him in pain. He'd sat in a slump the rest of the night, desperately trying to think of some way to stay in his apartment, or even convince Sasuke to let him stay and live there with him and Sakura. None of the alternatives he'd been able to think of were feasible or desirable in any way.

Except one.

It had come to him sometime after three in the morning as he sat on his bed with a bag of chips watching re-runs of old cartoons. He'd been shaking his head, discarding idea after idea until one bright light of hope shined through the cracks of his thoughts. He sat upright immediately, the crumbs that had accumulated onto his shirt spilling onto his bed without a second thought as he clapped his hands together enthusiastically. His idea was perfect, completely without flaw, entirely more desirable than third-wheeling with Sakura and Sasuke.

He'd move in with Hinata.

The idea had seemed simple enough in his mind; he'd casually bring up his expiring lease to Hinata over dinner one day and make the idea seem so enticing and desirable that there'd be no chance of her turning him down. And if that didn't work, he'd have to make himself sound just hopeless enough that'd she'd think moving in together was her idea instead of his own. He was utterly sure of its success.

Of course, as with all things, his plan didn't go so smoothly. And so days passed, a then a week, and another, and he was still no closer to asking Hinata to move in together.

"You ready to go?" She appeared from the other room as he sat at the kitchen counter, absent-mindedly chewing on his cereal.

"Mm, just a second." He smiled with a full mouth before standing and dropping the bowl in the sink. She approached him with a smile, hands lifted to her ear where she struggled to place an earring. Finally succeeding she huffed tiredly and placed her hands on his shoulders, squeezing them to relieve some of the tension he was sure she could sense in him even without knowing the cause. It amazed him how in such a short time she'd learned to read him like an open book.

"You look very handsome today." She said with a smile, her eyes glancing up and down his body and his heart skipped under her gaze.

"And you look beautiful, as always." She giggled as his lips pecked her nose quickly before he bent over and placed a deep kiss against her lips. She pulled away with a sigh, her hands on his shoulders moving up to move through his hair as she stared into his eyes.

"Let's get going so I can hurry and come back home to you." She ran her hand along his cheek before turning away and walking the short distance towards the door. He hesitated in the kitchen, staring after her as his heart thudded rapidly in his chest with the opportunity that had just presented itself before him.

'_It's now or never._' He told himself as he watched her shrug the strap of her purse over her shoulder. "Hey, Hinata…"

"Hm?" She turned towards him with a slightly furrowed brow, eyes full of concern as her gaze settled upon his edgy, fidgeting stature.

"Well, it's just… I was just wondering…" He'd picked up her nervous habit at some point or another, because he felt an intense urge to poke his forefingers against one another.

"Yes?" She urged him to continue and took one step forward closer to him as her hand twitched, wanting nothing more than to reach out to him and entwine him within her fingers. He would never have another opportunity as perfect as this, her in front of him saying how she wished to come home to him. _Home_. To _him._ He could give her that opportunity – he wanted nothing more than to have her come home to him every single day for the rest of their lives.

If only he would open his damn mouth.

"…It's nothing." He sighed, quickly replacing the disappointed look on his face with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "I'm just going to miss you today."

He'd known from the first time they spoke that he'd never be able to hide his true feelings from her (sometimes he entertained the idea of her mesmerizing, pearlescent eyes manifesting into some kind of psychic power). Even now she focused her eyes on him with an intensity that could burn him into nothing, searching the blues of his eyes for something he didn't know. Her eyes softened, seemingly satisfied with whatever she found within the depths of his mind, and she gave him a small, reassuring smile before taking his hand in her own and rubbing her thumb against back of his palm soothingly.

"Whatever it is, we can talk about when you're ready."

She was entirely too good for him.

He leaned down and enveloped her in a kiss that he hoped conveyed all the emotion she'd built in his chest, pulling away and laughing lightly as she wobbled in place with a dazed expression and rosy cheeks. Intertwining their fingers they settled into a comfortable silence, only interrupted by the clicking of her heels and the sound of his feet dragging against the carpet as they exited the apartment, made their way down the hallway, and pressed the button to call the elevator.

He peeked at her from the corner of his eye as she watched the needle slowly make it's way up to the eighth floor, her cheeks still flushed a light pink from his kiss and her hand tightly intertwined with his own. His arm tingled with the electricity her touch sent through him and he couldn't imagine months ago that he'd be in the position he was, with the same woman he'd been terrified of talking to right beside him. The longer he looked at her the more he tried to rationalize to himself why he wouldn't jump on the opportunity of asking her to move in with him, and as the seconds passed he failed to come up with any reason. He could open his mouth and ask her right now if he wanted to. No prior conversation leading up to it was needed, yet some deep set anxiety held his lips together.

The elevator rang and the two stepped inside, Naruto allowing her to step in before him with an exaggerated bow and received a giggle that satisfied him all too much. He wrapped her lips in a kiss the moment her fingers left the button for the ground floor, pecking her lips repeatedly as he tried to hold back his smile while she gripped his arms to stop herself from falling backwards. The elevator rang again too soon and the pair slowly began making their way outside where they'd part ways, Hinata smiling as she felt Naruto's hand tighten ever so slightly around her own. It made her heart skip knowing he dreaded parting from her as much as she did from him.

"I was thinking maybe we could go out to dinner tonight?" He turned to her with a questioning brow, smiling as she nodded in response to his question.

"We haven't gone by Ichiraku's in awhile." She said after pausing to think for a few moments.

"Then it's a date." He grinned and she moved reluctantly to release his hand, only to stop as he tightened his around it suddenly. His brow furrowed and with focused eyes he looked at her assuredly. Her mouth opened to question him only to close again as she decided to let him talk on his own.

"I know you've noticed I've been acting really weird lately, and I can see that you're worried." He paused to give her an apologetic look and her eyes softened as she took a step closer towards him. "I promise what's been on my mind is nothing bad, I've just been too scared to talk to you about it."

"You know you can tell me anything." Her free hand moved up to cup his cheek reassuringly.

"I know I can, Hina. I promise you I'll talk to you about it tonight at dinner, okay?" He gave her an uncertain look, his chest sagging in relief as she responded to his question with a deep nod.

"Okay."

"Great. See you after work, princess." He grinned as her face flushed and she glanced around her quickly as though afraid someone had heard (which only made him want to tease her more). He was tempted to pull her into a deep kiss in front of all the pedestrians that morning, an open declaration of his love for her, but didn't want to push her _too_ far so early in the day.

"See you after work." She repeated, her cheeks still flushed a pretty pink as she looked up at him with a smile before the two slowly parted ways. Naruto watched her walk away with a smile until she disappeared into the throng of sidewalk commuters before turning to begin his own walk to work.

He made it 3 blocks before he realized what he'd done.

"FUCK." Naruto exclaimed loudly, surprising the pedestrians around him who gave him strange and offended glances as he pulled at his hair. He look up and groaned at the sky, dragging his hands down his face as he quickened his pace towards his work building where he could lament his lack of forethought in the privacy of his own office.

He'd been planning on telling Hinata for over two weeks that he wanted to move in together, spent countless hours building up his courage only for it to fall flat when she looked at him with those curious, pearly eyes. He tried and tried and tried for _days _to just come out and ask her, failing each time, and now he'd gone and opened his big mouth and given himself mere _hours _to build up his courage and follow through on the plan he'd consistently failed with.

"Oh, good morning Narut- Okay, what the hell is wrong with you?" Ino greeted him with a smile as he entered her office, only to stop short as she watched him throw himself roughly into the seat in front of her and lay his head on her desk with a helpless groan.

"I'm such an idiot."

"Well I could have told you that, but what specifically have you done this time that's made you realize what we all have for years?" Ino paused in the middle of her typing to give him her attention, leaning against her desk and smiling innocently when he gave her an annoyed glare.

"It's about Hinata." He looked away with red cheeks as the blonde squealed, leaning forward even more on her desk.

"Tell me _everything_. Are you getting married? Holy shit, is she pregnant? Wait, wait, wait; you're not breaking up are you?"

"No, why would you even guess any of that!" Naruto interjected, cheeks flushing again at her train of thought and Ino pouted.

"Okay, then what's going on that's got you so upset so early in the morning?" She asked, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I just, well…" He hesitated, trying to calm the fire he felt spreading across his face as she stared at him expectantly before sighing deeply. "I'm going to ask Hinata to move in with me."

He managed to cover his ears in time to spare his ear drums from the unexpectedly loud squeal of excitement Ino released as she spun around in her chair excitedly. She quickly placed her hands over her mouth to quiet herself, though her wide grin still spilled over the edges of her fingertips.

"I can't believe it! And to think that not too long ago you were silently crushing on each other in an elevator. I'm really happy for you, Naruto." Ino smiled, reaching across her desk and placing her hand over his own briefly as Naruto smiled bashfully.

"Thanks, but that's my whole problem. Now that Sasuke is moving in with Sakura I need to find a new place to stay, so obviously it makes sense to move in with Hinata right?"

"Of course, I'm sure Hinata would be completely thrilled for you to ask her." Ino shrugged as though it was the simplest thing in the world and Naruto pouted.

"How can you be so sure though? I mean, what if she thinks it's too soon, or that we're moving way too fast? What if I ask her, and it scares her off and she doesn't want to be with me anymore?" The more he talked, the further he slumped into his seat until he was staring up at the ceiling of Ino's office with a distraught expression.

"You seriously are an idiot." Ino's laughter burst through the air and Naruto couldn't help but feel offended that she was taking his problem so lightly.

"I'm completely serious!" He shouted back at her, and she waved him off dismissively as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Ino apologized halfheartedly, lightly chuckling to herself as Naruto looked at her warily as though he expected another outburst.

"It's just - I've never dated a girl like Hinata, you know?" He continued once he was sure she wouldn't interrupt him. She quirked an eye at him with confusion and he looked away, occupying himself by picking at the pens on her desk. "She's perfect and definitely could find someone way better than me. Maybe it's too soon, but I know I love her and want to spend the rest of my life with her. I guess I'm just worried that if I try to push things too far and too fast that her feelings won't be the same as mine and she'll dump me."

"Alright Naruto, listen up because I'm not going to be saying this again." Ino sighed deeply before looking him full in the eyes with determination. "You're a great guy. You're funny, outgoing, good looking. I mean don't get me wrong, you're a complete idiot-"

"Thank you?" Naruto narrowed his eyes suspiciously as Ino continued without pause.

"-But any girl would be lucky to be with you. If you can trust anyone's relationship advice you can trust mine, and I'm telling you that Hinata _definitely_ feels the same way about you. So stop being a wimp and just ask her to move in with you already!"

"You're right!" Naruto nodded his head vigorously, slapping his hands onto her desk and pushing himself up. "I need to stop thinking about it so much and just ask her!"

"Yeah! Now get out of my office, you're distracting me from work." Ino shooed him away with a sly grin and Naruto rolled his eyes with a smile chuckle before turning away from her.

"Thanks Ino, I really owe you one." He grinned at her over his shoulder as he walked across her office towards the door feeling lighter than he had earlier.

Somehow hearing it from the mouth of someone else put the mess of insecurities in his mind into a clear and sudden perspective. This was _Hinata_ he was talking about; amazing, wonderful Hinata. Even if she did think it was too soon, he knew that she loved him and wouldn't leave him for something so silly as asking her if she wanted to move in together. But if he really thought about it, things had been going so perfectly between them that he couldn't even find a reason that she would say no. Sure they'd been dating less than a year, but they were both adults capable of making their own decisions.

She knew that he loved her (he made it abundantly clear every chance he could), and he without a doubt knew that she loved him just as much.

All of his doubts and anxieties suddenly seemed so unfounded, and he found himself chuckling at his own irrationality as he reached for the handle to Ino's office, only to have the door come flying forward suddenly and hit him square in the face.

"Oh my goodness! Naruto, I'm so sorry!" An apologetic exclamation resonated in his ears as Naruto's hands flew to his nose.

"_Hinata?!" _Naruto exclaimed as his dazed eyes focused on the panicked woman standing in front of him, arms reached out hesitantly towards his face before she brought them back quickly to cover her mouth in surprise at her actions.

"Did I hurt you? I-I'm really sorry, I didn't expect you to be there." She placed a hand carefully on his shoulder and he tried his best not to grimace.

"I'm totally fine!" He managed a painful smile, not wanting to make her feel worse as his eyes squinted tightly and his nose rang out in pain. "What in the world are you doing here?"

"Oh! Um..." She flushed deeply, seemingly having forgotten where she was as she looked behind him at Ino who was openly and unashamedly giving her full attention to their conversation. "I, um, wanted to talk to you about something."

"I actually have something I wanted to talk about with you too," he replied as he placed a hand gingerly on his nose, only to recoil as a stinging pain shot across his face.

"Naruto, your nose is bleeding!" Hinata's brow furrowed with concern as the blonde placed a hand on her shoulder, his grip tightening as he felt a warmth dripping lightly from his nose.

"Yeah, I think it might be broken." He grinned, less out of amusement from the situation than the fact that Hinata looked completely on the verge of fainting, her hand hovering over her mouth in horror as her eyes widened with concern for his well being.

"We need to get you to a doctor!" She lifted his hand from his nose, examining his injury briefly before taking his un-bloodied hand resolutely and attempting to pull him out the door.

"I really need to talk to you." He planted his feet firmly, amused at her vain attempts to move him.

"It can wait, you're bleeding so much!"

"Hinata, please."

"Naruto, that looks like it really hurts!"

"Hinata, move in with me."

He felt her hand immediately stiffen around his own, pausing in her efforts to pull him out of Ino's office as she whipped her head towards him suddenly. He met her gaze evenly with a smile, blue eyes staring unwavering into her surprised ones as her face fixed into a flurry of emotions.

"What did you...just say?" Her voice came out in almost a whisper, hesitant and apprehensive as she eyed his face for any hint of a joke he might have been playing on her.

"Hinata...I want you to move in with me." His fingers intertwined with her own as he repeated his statement unabashedly.

Somehow the flurry of butterflies he'd expected to feel in his stomach were replaced by a deep sense of ease, and the words rolled off his tongue smoothly. Whether it was the blood rushing through his nose making him dazed and lightheaded or because he'd truly abandoned his cowardice, he didn't know and it didn't matter.

All that mattered was the brightest smile he'd ever seen spread itself across her face, and the melodic laugh that burst from her mouth.

"Please tell me that's a yes." Naruto asked with a hesitant smile, and she could only nod as she placed her hands over her mouth in an attempt to quiet the stream of laughter erupting from her lips.

"It's definitely a yes, I'd love to move in with you!" She threw her arms around his neck, ignoring the blood trickling from his nose and the careful way he hugged her so as not to soil her dress. A clapping from behind them interrupted their embrace and the two turned to see Ino standing up, clapping carefully as she pointed her phone camera directly at them.

"That was _fantastic_, this is totally going on YouTube." She pointed a finger at her camera, looking between the two with a cheeky grin. With a chuckle she began frantically typing in her phone. "I've _got _to send this to Sakura, girl's gonna _freak_."

"Oh, speaking of Sakura that's why I'm here!" Hinata turned her attention back on Naruto suddenly, looking at up at him with realization.

"Oh yeah, what exactly are you doing here anyway?"

"Um, it's kind of a funny story." She laughed nervously, looking away from his questioning gaze. "I actually came to ask you to move in with me."

"You what?" He repeated with shock, trying to catch her gaze as her cheeks flushed and she stared fixedly away from him.

"Well Sakura told me today that she and Sasuke were moving in together in a couple weeks." She looked at him hesitantly, looking away quickly once again as she saw his eyes deeply focused on her face. "She'd thought she'd already mentioned it to me, but as soon as I realized that you'd be losing your roommate I came straight here to ask if you, you know...would want to move in together."

Naruto stared at her blankly before bursting into laughter, catching her shoulder for balance as he began to wobble. It had taken him over two weeks to build the courage to ask her to move in, while she needed only seconds.

To think his sweet, small Hinata was the brave one in their relationship.

"Naruto, are you okay?" She put his arm over her shoulder as he stumbled forward, his and Ino's laughter ringing through the air.

"Yeah, I'm feeling pretty lightheaded." He said between laughs, allowing her to lead him out of Ino's office.

"I'm taking you to the hospital right now. Just hold on to me, okay?" She said as he leaned his weight onto her, one hand holding his nose as the other rested comfortably across her shoulder.

She led him to the elevator, face heated as she tried to ignore the strange looks his coworkers were giving the pair of them, and Naruto decided that he was okay with being a coward if it meant her taking care of him like this every so often.

"Naruto, please let me help you."

"No, no, no. I've got it, you just sit down and relax."

Hinata narrowed her eyes at him playfully from her position on the couch, carefully eyeing the way the boxes in his arms wobbled dangerously. His eyes peeked over the top box as he carefully maneuvered his way through the cardboard mess that was her- no, _their_ living room. After setting the boxes down with a huff he dusted his hands off, rubbing the beads of sweat from his forehead as he slowly walked towards her from across the room.

"I've only got a small cold, I'm not dying." Hinata laughed, taking her handkerchief and dabbing at her runny nose lightly.

"Either way I want you to take it easy, I've only a few more to go anyway. I didn't realize I had so much crap." He shrugged with a chuckle, taking the place beside her on the couch and enveloping her in his arms.

She sunk further into his chest with a comfortable sigh, enjoying the warmth of his arms around her and the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

"I could get used to this." She mumbled quietly.

"Good, because this is our life now." She looked up at him as he smiled down at her, and she shifted over to rest her chin on her hands as she stared at him fully.

"This is our life now." She repeated with a smile as he ran his fingers through her hair. "You know your things are still out in the hallway."

"Mmh, they can wait." He grumbled and she giggled as he leaned forward and kissed her, his arms tightening around her and pulling her closer.

And as she laid there with his heartbeat ringing in her ears, she felt at home.


End file.
